The intention of this study is, through a phenomenographic method, to see how students in a Swedish upper secondary school perceive the accusative object in German as a foreign language. Through descriptions of these various perceptions, three outcome areas were identified. These were understanding or no or little understanding of the accusative or the accusative object. These outcome areas were further divided into subcategories, corresponding to the students’ own way of expression.  The outcome of the study is, that there are indeed various forms of perceptions among the students. All perceptions however funnel down to a common understanding, with few exceptions, when the students were asked to explain the accusative object, as opposed to when they were shown example sentences containing an accusative object.  The study also shows that the results can be beneficial for teachers of German as a foreign language, in the sense of mapping the understanding of the students. Thus, this understanding can give teachers a ground for creating a deeper and better understanding of the accusative object and the accusative.