When Do You Use Dativ In German

🛑 👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻 INFORMATION AVAILABLE CLICK HERE👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻

Let me give it to you straight: learning German is no picnic.
For English speakers—nay, speakers of many languages—German grammar can be a confusing mixture of three grammatical genders, separable prefix verbs and complex word-building.
One of these is the dative case—a term we don’t often hear in English but that’s crucial to German learning.
At first, the dative case can seem as frustrating as a horde of ants disrupting a beautiful picnic.
But take a breath, dear learner: there’s no need to be a hopeless case!
Learning German may be no picnic, but this easy-to-follow guide can make dative pronouns feel like a walk in the park.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
German dative case pronouns don’t have to be complicated, but a basic understanding of grammatical cases in German will go a long way. Get your review below!
Grammatical cases are a big part of learning German grammar because they impact how we use nouns in German.
In short, German cases are different forms of nouns that reflect the function of the noun in a sentence.
This may sound confusing at first, but actually, we do have a version of this in English, too. Consider the following two sentences:
“They” and “them” refer to the same group of people, but we use different words because they have different functions in the sentence.
This is basically what cases are in German. However, in German there are four cases—and they impact nouns as well as pronouns.
In German, nouns are easily identified because they’re always capitalized.
Depending on the noun’s function in a sentence, it’ll fall into one of the four following grammatical cases:
In case you missed it, German has four cases.
The nominative case is used for subjects (the doers of verbs), and the accusative case is for direct objects (the noun acted upon by the verb). These are the most commonly used cases for simple sentences.
For example, in the sentence ich habe den Computer meiner Mutter gegeben (I gave the computer to my mom), ich (I) is in the nominative case, den Computer (the computer) is in the accusative case and meiner Mutter (to my mother) is in the dative.
A pronoun could also be used to replace meiner Mutter, but more on that later.
In addition to the dative case being used for indirect objects, there is a group of verbs in German that’ll always have objects that are in the dative case.
This rule applies even if the object that follows would typically be considered a direct object in English.
For now, let’s just look at a list of common verbs that are followed by the dative case:
For example, the object in sentence Ich helfe der Frau (I’m helping the woman) must change its definite article into the dative case.
Further, the indefinite article in the sentence Der Mann glaubt einem Mädchen nicht (the man does not believe a girl) also changes to the dative case.
Lastly, the pronoun in the sentence Ich verzeiht dir (I am following you) must also be in the dative case, triggered by the verb verzeihen.
Now that we’re clear on what the dative case is and when to use it, let’s look at how to use dative pronouns.
When nouns are preceded by definite and indefinite articles, the dative case is shown primarily through changes that are made to these articles.
For example, der Hund (the dog) becomes den Hund in the accusative case, dem Hund in the dative case and des Hundes in the genitive case.
When these articles and nouns are replaced with pronouns such as the German equivalents of “he” and “it,” these pronouns too must change to reflect the dative case.
There are two types of pronouns that are used in the dative case in German.
The first is personal pronouns. These are the ones that replace people such as der Vater (the father) or Maria. They can also replace groups of people such as der Vater und Maria (the father and Maria).
Since you’re probably already familiar with the German nominative pronouns, we’ll use those as a reference point to show how pronouns change when you move to the dative case:
Ich is the personal pronoun in the nominative case that means “I.” When in the dative case, ich becomes mir (to me).
Kannst du mir helfen?
Can you help me?
Du is the personal pronoun in the nominative case that means “you” in the singular sense. When in the dative case, du becomes dir (to you).
Was hat er dir gegeben?
What did he give you?
Er and sie are the personal pronouns that mean “he” and “she” in the nominative case. When in the dative case, er becomes ihm (to him) and sie becomes ihr (to her).
Ich glaube ihm nicht, sondern glaube ich ihr.
I don’t believe him but I believe her.
Wir is the personal pronoun that means “we” in the nominative case. When in the dative case, wir becomes uns (to us).
Sie danken uns für das Bier.
They thank us for the beer.
Ihr is the personal pronoun that means “you” in the plural sense. When in the dative case, ihr becomes euch (to you).
Ich werde euch folgen.
I will follow you all.
Lastly, sie is the personal pronoun that means “they.” When in the dative case, sie becomes ihnen (to them).
Hilfst du ihnen?
Are you helping them?
Keep in mind that Sie (with a capital S) means “you” in the formal sense. As such, Ihnen (with a capital I) means “to you” in the formal sense.
Sie helfen Ihnen.
They help you. (Formal)
Ihnen is also used in this way in the common sentence, Wie geht es Ihnen? (How are you?)
As in the nominative case, certain personal pronouns can also be used to replace non-human and inanimate objects. These are generally the third person pronouns er, sie and plural sie. 
Their dative equivalents are ihm (to him/it), ihr (to her/it) and ihnen (to them) as well. Check out the following example sentences:
Ich gebe dem Hund einen Ball. — I give a ball to the dog.
Ich gebe ihm einen Ball. — I give him a ball.
Du folgt dem Weg. — You follow the path.
Du folgt ihm. — you follow it.
Er dankt den Fröschen nicht. — He doesn’t thank the frogs.
Er dankt ihnen nicht. — He doesn’t thank them.
Ich glaube dem Buch. — I believe the book.
Ich glaube ihm. — I believe it.
The third person pronoun es is also used to replace neuter nouns in the nominative case. In the dative case, this, too, becomes ihm.
For example, the noun das Mädchen (the girl) is a neuter noun. The sentence ich danke das Mädchen (I thank the girl) would become ich danke ihm (I thank her), using the masculine pronoun even though the girl is female—because the noun Mädchen is neuter in actuality.
In addition to the aforementioned verbs, there are also a number of sentence constructions that require dative pronouns.
Firstly, to talk about the temperature in relation to a person, one must use the dative case. For example, mir ist kalt means “I am cold” and ihnen ist heiß means “they are hot.”
You can’t say ich bin kalt or sie sind heiß which are common literal translations from English.
The following verbs also require dative pronouns:
Das Hemd gefällt mir. — I like the shirt.
Schnitzel schmeckt ihnen gut. — Schnitzel tastes good to them.
Tut dir der Kopf weh? — Does your head hurt?
Ihr fehlen die Wörter. — She lacks the words.
Das Buch gehört euch. — The book belongs to you all.
Das hat uns passiert. — That happened to us.
Learning without practice? Don’t let that be the case!
As you review your German dative pronouns, you’ll find that there are many resources online to help you practice. Here are a few great ones to start you off:
If you prefer to learn through immersion, it’s a great idea to check out FluentU.
Each video comes equipped with interactive subtitles and a full transcript, so you can follow along as you watch. After you finish a video, you can take a personalized quiz or use FluentU’s “learn mode” to reinforce grammar and vocabulary.
Watching videos of native German speakers while reading along at the same time is an amazing way to practice your German grammar. You’ll learn German as it’s spoken in the real world. After watching a few videos, tricky grammar concepts like choosing the correct case and the correct pronoun will start to come naturally.
Check out FluentU’s free trial, and see how much you can learn!
Now get to case work! You have the knowledge to master German dative personal pronouns and skyrocket your level of German.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn German with real-world videos.
FluentU brings English to life with real-world videos.
Learning English becomes fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talks.
FluentU is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. We also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in.
© 2021 Enux Education Limited. All Rights Reserved.
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

Welcome to this free German lesson! Today we will talk about the German dative case.
Each case introduces a grammatical function. The dative case introduces an indirect object in the sentence. What is an indirect object? Look at this example:
The dog is the subject, the one performing the action of giving. In German, this is introduced by the nominative case. A bone is a direct object, meaning the object to which the action is being done in a sentence. In German, this is introduced by the accusative case. Me (to me) is an indirect object. An indirect object is the person or thing to (or for) whom (or which) an action is being performed. In English this is often indicated by the words to or for. The German dative is used to show the indirect object of a sentence.
Let's start with looking at a German dative example.
Rocket Record lets you perfect your German pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
Die Frau is the subject (nominative case). Gibt is a conjugation of to give. Like in English, this verb is followed by an indirect object (give something to whom?). Dem Mann is the indirect object. If the man were the subject, it would be der Mann, but this is an indirect object, so we will have to use the dative declension of the article. Der becomes dem. Finally, einen Kuss is the direct object, so it is introduced by the accusative case.
In the dative case all the articles change. Have a look at the table below to see how the articles change depending on the case.
In German the dative is also called der Wemfall, so the question words for the dative are to whom (“wem”) or what (“was”). The woman gives a kiss to whom? The woman gives a kiss to the man. The man is dative.
Holger wirft dem Mädchen den Ball zu.
Holger throws the ball to the girl.
You might wonder why ein Buch doesn’t change into einen Buch. This is because the noun Buch is neuter (das Buch). Only masculine articles change in the accusative, like einen Kuss that we saw earlier. Kuss is a masculine noun (der Kuss), so it is declined.
Gefallen, to like, is another tricky verb because its behavior is totally different from that of English. We saw it earlier in Der Frau gefällt das Hotel. In the English sentence, the woman is the subject and the hotel is the object, but in the German sentence they are the other way around! A more literal translation could be "the hotel pleases the woman".
Sometimes, choosing between the accusative and the dative case is not always straightforward, because there are a few (rare) occasions where the dative case is actually introducing an apparent direct object. Verbs like folgen, to follow, and helfen, to help, for example, are accompanied by the dative case. Let's see a couple of examples.
Here are a few recommended German lessons to try next!
Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!
Whether you've been studying German for years or are considering giving German a try, the following 10 hacks and simple tricks can help you to learn German fast and effectively.
Learning a language is a complex process that is different for each individual based on several different factors. Let's take a look at these different factors and how they impact how fast you learn German.
Others try to teach you German.
We immerse you in it.
Take a free trial and get lots of sample lessons, exclusive discounts, and more.
Tip: Your free trial account details will be sent to your inbox
With an average rating of 4.7 stars you know Rocket German works!
Thousands of people have had great success with mastering a new language with Rocket Languages.
Would you recommend it to a friend?
Lee Morris
Central Coast, NSW, Australia
I have tried learning languages years ago with books and tapes and more recently downloading files from Internet (Listening only, No text!) with mixed results. With Rocket Languages I sense that I am making better progress with more retention and importantly I am able to start thinking in German and not need to translate which is vital in achieving fluency. Sehr gute arbeit Rocket languages!
Rocket German managed to constantly keep me engaged where other programs failed. Usually I would lose interest about halfway (maybe even quarter way) through a program, but having the option of taking the audio lessons with me wherever I go gives me lots more options. I can't recommend this program enough!
Rocket Languages caters perfectly to my learning style. I can't just absorb language by osmosis, I need to have things explained to me and I need to have it repeated. Rocket Languages explains the subjects it's teaching without expecting me to have any background in linguistics. I feel like I've learned and retained so much already!
Libros Media Ltd. - Copyright 2004-2021
USA: 444 Alaska Avenue, Suite #P1171, Torrance, CA 90503, USA
Asia/Pacific: 12-987 Ferry Road, Woolston, Christchurch 8023, New Zealand
Speak, read, write & understand.
Rocket German is all you need - in one tool.

Family Massage Xxx
Sex 69 Uk
Xiaomi Yi Camera Outdoor Edition 1080p
Bonny Anderson Anal
Teen Boy Omegle
How Do You Use Dative Prepositions in German?
The Dative Case in German | Study.com
German Dative Pronouns: The Quick and Easy-to-follow Guide
German Dative - Rocket Languages
How to Use the Dative Case in German - In-Depth Guide ...
Accusative and Dative in German Explained | Lingoda
Nominative, Accusative And Dative: When to Use Them ...
Accusative and Dative explained | German is easy!
Genitive, Dative or Accusative – Recognizing German Cases
Handout: Nominative, Accusative, and Dative: When to Use Them
When Do You Use Dativ In German