top of page

Learn German with LearnningTree Part 2: Dative Case

Welcome back to the engaging and insightful Learn German with LearnningTree series. In our previous blog post, we studied the accusative case in German grammar, exploring its importance and usage in constructing meaningful sentences. Building upon that foundation, today's focus shifts towards the dative case, another fundamental aspect of the German language that plays a crucial role in conveying relationships and nuances within sentences.


Stay tuned as we unravel the mysteries of the dative case and unlock a deeper understanding of the German language.


Dative case

LIST OF CONTENTS



Dative Case


What do the verbs "help," "give," "write," and "send" have in common?

They’re all tasks we perform in our jobs, right?

And here’s a hint: these actions typically involve another person besides ourselves i.e. things that have a recipient!


The dative case( Dativ in German) is a grammatical case used to indicate the indirect object of a verb—essentially, the recipient of an action.


Before we learn dative, let's recall the good old accusative first.

  • We use it with direct objects

  • It only changes in masculine singular

  • We use it with verbs like "to see", "to take", "to order", "to eat" , etc.

der/ein Mann

den/einen Mann

die/eine Frau

die/eine Frau

das/ein Kind

das/ein Kind

die Kinder/ - Kinder

die Kinder/ - Kinder

Okay, now the dative where it's a little more tricky:

Dative

Accusative

Ich zeige I show

dem Mann

den Supermarkt.

Ich zeige I show

der Frau

die Buchhandlung.

Ich zeige I show

dem Kind

das Kino.

Ich zeige I show

den Kindern

die Museen.

In German, when you use a verb that takes both a direct object (accusative) and an indirect object (dative), the two cases are used together.


Dative Case: This indicates the indirect object—the person or thing receiving the action.

Accusative Case: This indicates the direct object—the thing that is being acted upon.


Examples:


  1. Ich zeige dem Mann den Supermarkt.

    Translation: I show the man the supermarket.

    Dative: dem Mann (the man) – the recipient of the action.

    Accusative: den Supermarkt (the supermarket) – the thing being shown.


  2. Ich zeige der Frau die Buchhandlung.

    Translation: I show the woman the bookstore.

    Dative: der Frau (the woman) – the recipient.

    Accusative: die Buchhandlung (the bookstore) – the thing being shown.


  3. Ich zeige dem Kind das Kino.

    Translation: I show the child the cinema.

    Dative: dem Kind (the child) – the recipient.

    Accusative: das Kino (the cinema) – the thing being shown.


  4. Ich zeige den Kindern die Museen.

    Translation: I show the children the museums.

    Dative: den Kindern (the children) – the recipients.

    Accusative: die Museen (the museums) – the things being shown.


Key Points:

  • The dative case changes the article (e.g., "der" to "dem" for masculine, "die" to "der" for feminine, and "die" to "den" for plural).

  • The accusative case also changes the article in some situations (e.g., "der" to "den" for masculine).

  • The verb "zeigen" (to show) requires both an indirect object (the person being shown something) and a direct object (the thing being shown).


Dative Masculine


Like the accusative, there are recurring letters that will help you get all your dative declensions right. Let's look at a little trick for that. M R M N

Declensions in dative

Definite

Indefinite/Negation

Possessive

dem

(k)einem

meinem

der

(k)einer

meiner

dem

(k)einem

meinem

den

keinen

meinen

M R M N... looks a bit like MR. MaN! Maybe that can help you remember :)


Dative Verbs


Do you know how confusing the sentence I'm hot. is in English?

In German, because of the wonderful dative, that expression would never be misunderstood.


Ich bin heiß.

Meaning: I'm hot (looking hot/attractive).


Mir ist heiß.

Meaning: I'm hot (warm).


The meaning of the second sentence can be understood as "It feels hot to me." In German, the dative case is used for indirect objects, which is often translated to English as "to me/you/her/...". However, it's important to note that this is not always the rule, and the reason for this can sometimes be unclear.


Declensions can be daunting, and distinguishing between accusative and dative cases can be particularly challenging.


If you are not one for grammar concepts, don't worry! We have a list here of the top 10 most common verbs that use dative in German!

  1. gefallen → Das gefällt mir. (I like that.)                

  2. helfen → Sie hilft ihm. (She helps him.)

  3. schmecken → Pizza schmeckt ihr nicht. (She doesn't like the taste of pizza.)

  4. glauben → Sie glaubt ihm nicht. (She doesn't believe him.)

  5. geben → Er hat ihr einen Goldring gegeben. (He gave her a gold ring.)

  6. gehören → Das gehört mir. (That belongs to me.)

  7. weh tun → Mir tun die Augen weh. (My eyes hurt.)

  8. danken → Ich danke dir für alles. (I thank you for everything.)

  9. passieren → Das passiert mir immer. (That always happens to me.)

  10. fehlen →  Mir fehlen die Wörter. (I have no words.)


Remember to use the dative with these verbs and you will avoid some of the most common mistakes.

Most Common Mistakes observed are as follows:

mistakes in dative case

Overview: all singular personal pronouns


Nominative

Accusative

Dative

ich

mich

mir

du

dich

dir

er

ihn

ihm

sie

sie

ihr

es

es

ihm

Dative Constructions


When talking about (subjective) feelings or opinions, we like to use certain dative constructions such as Mir ist kalt(I'm cold). In this case, we use this because we want to express our personal feeling in regards to the temperature. There are other cool dative constructions like this. Check it out!


1.Ich finde/denke, Kochen ist unterhaltsam. → Kochen macht mir Spaß.

Translation: I find/think cooking is entertaining. → Cooking is fun for me.

Explanation: Here, "Spaß" (fun) is expressed using the dative "mir." This construction indicates that cooking brings joy or enjoyment to the speaker, focusing on their personal experience.


2. Ich finde/denke, Pizza ist lecker. → Pizza schmeckt mir.

Translation: I find/think pizza is delicious. → Pizza tastes good to me.

Explanation: In this case, "schmecken" (to taste) also uses the dative case. "Mir" indicates that the speaker enjoys the taste of pizza, highlighting their subjective opinion about its flavor.


3. Ich finde/denke, Deutsch ist super. → Deutsch gefällt mir.

Translation: I find/think German is great. → I like German.

Explanation: The verb "gefallen" (to please) requires the dative. "Mir" shows that German is pleasing to the speaker, again emphasizing their personal opinion or preference.


These are way shorter, Useful, right? These dative constructions are used all the time. Take a closer look:


The sentences should be translated as:

  • Cooking is fun.

  • I like pizza.

  • I like German.


But what we are literally saying is:

  • *Cooking makes fun to me.

  • *Pizza tastes to me.

  • *German pleases to me.


Avoid funny mistakes!


Ich bin kalt. → I'm a cold person.

Mir ist kalt. → I am/feel cold.

Ich bin schlecht. → I'm bad/a bad person.

Mir ist schlecht. → I feel bad/sick.


Ich tut der Kopf weh. → doesn't exist

Mir tut der Kopf weh. → My head hurts.


Note: Did you notice the verb in those sentences? The subject in the dative sentences is es (sometimes only implicitly), not the person in question. We also have "dummy subjects" in English. Yes, this is what linguists call them!

It rains every day.

"It" doesn't really mean anything, but it is the subject of the sentence and therefore we need the -s in the verb → the he/she/it-conjugation.


When you start your sentence with mir/dir/ihr/... , make sure the verb is conjugated in the third person singular, the er/sie/es-conjugation.

  • Ist dir kalt? (Not: Bist dir kalt?)

  • Mir ist etwas passiert. (Not: Mir bin etwas passiert.)


Dative Pronouns: Plural


Before learning plural pronouns ,here are the singular dative pronouns : mir, dir, ihm, ihr


Plural pronouns:

We use the dative for indirect objects:

Ich habe ihnen eine E-mail geschickt.

I sent them an e-mail.


We use them with dative verbs like: helfen, gefallen, passieren.​

Sie hilft uns.

She helps us.


After the dative prepositions: bei, mit, seit, aus, zu, nach, von.​

Ich komme mit euch.

I'll come with you (plural).


Here's an overview of all plural personal pronouns:

Nominative

Accusative

Dative

wir

uns

uns

ihr

euch

euch

sie

sie

ihnen

Reflexive pronouns in the dative


Reflexive pronouns in German refer back to the subject of the sentence and are used when the subject and the object are the same. Reflexive pronouns appear very similar to accusative pronouns.

Accusative

Reflexive

Siehst du mich?

Ich dusche mich.

Ich sehe dich.

Du duschst dich.

Ich sehe ihn/sie.

Er duscht sich.

Siehst du uns?

Wir duschen uns.

Ich sehe euch.

Ihr duscht euch.

Ich sehe sie.

Sie duschen sich.

BUT  ⇒ If there are two objects in the sentence, we use the reflexive pronoun with the dative.

Check out the reflexive dative pronouns! Again, no surprises here:

Dative

Reflexive

Hilfst du mir?

Ich wasche mir die Haare.

Ich helfe dir.

Du wäschst dir die Haare.

Ich helfe ihm/ihr.

Er wäscht sich die Haare.

Hilfst du uns?

Wir waschen uns die Haare.

Ich helfe euch.

Ihr wascht euch die Haare.

Ich helfe ihnen.

Sie waschen sich die Haare.


What would happen if I said Sie wäscht ihm die Haare?

That would mean she washes his hair, not her own.


Dative reflexive pronouns are essential for indicating actions that a subject performs on themselves. They help clarify who is receiving the action in a reflexive construction.


Join Us!


Joining LearnningTree to learn German offers you an unparalleled opportunity to master the language in a supportive and engaging environment. With expert instructors, tailored courses, and a strong emphasis on practical application, you'll gain the skills necessary to communicate effectively and confidently. Whether for personal growth, academic pursuits, or professional advancement, our comprehensive curriculum will empower you to achieve your language goals. Enroll today and embark on an exciting linguistic journey!


Commentaires


bottom of page