What the dative does
The dative marks the indirect object: the receiver or beneficiary of the action. In Ich gebe dem Kind einen Apfel, the apple is what is given, so it is accusative, and the child receives it, so it is dative.
To find the dative object, ask wem, to whom or for whom, about the verb. I give the apple to whom? To the child.
| Ich gebe dem Kind einen Apfel. | I give the child an apple. dem Kind is dative, einen Apfel is accusative. |
The articles in the dative
Unlike the accusative, the dative changes every gender. This table is worth memorizing as a chant: dem, der, dem, den.
The dative plural has a bonus rule: the noun itself adds -n unless it already ends in one. Die Kinder becomes den Kindern, die Bücher becomes den Büchern.
| Gender | Nominative | Dative |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der / ein | dem / einem |
| Feminine | die / eine | der / einer |
| Neuter | das / ein | dem / einem |
| Plural | die | den + noun adds -n |
| Ich zeige der Lehrerin meine Hausaufgaben. | I show the teacher my homework. Feminine die becomes der in the dative. |
| Er gibt den Kindern Schokolade. | He gives the children chocolate. Dative plural: den plus Kindern with -n. |
Dative pronouns
| Nominative | Dative | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mir | to me |
| du | dir | to you |
| er | ihm | to him / it |
| sie | ihr | to her |
| es | ihm | to it |
| wir | uns | to us |
| ihr | euch | to you (plural) |
| sie / Sie | ihnen / Ihnen | to them / to you (formal) |
| Kannst du mir helfen? | Can you help me? helfen takes the dative, so mir. |
| Ich schreibe ihr eine E-Mail. | I am writing her an email. |
Seven prepositions that always take the dative
These seven cover an enormous amount of everyday German: aus (out of, from), bei (at, near), mit (with), nach (after, to), seit (since, for), von (from, of), zu (to).
| Sie kommt aus der Türkei. | She comes from Turkey. aus plus dative: die Türkei becomes der Türkei. |
| Ich wohne seit einem Jahr in Köln. | I have been living in Cologne for a year. seit plus dative, with the present tense for an ongoing state. |
| Wir fahren mit dem Zug. | We are going by train. mit plus dative: the standard way to name a means of transport. |
Verbs that take the dative
A set of common verbs puts its object in the dative even though the English equivalent uses a plain direct object. The most useful ones: helfen (to help), danken (to thank), gefallen (to please), gehören (to belong to), antworten (to answer), folgen (to follow), passen (to fit), schmecken (to taste good to).
Gefallen deserves special attention because the sentence flips: the thing you like is the subject, and you are in the dative. Der Film gefällt mir literally means the film pleases me.
| Ich helfe meinem Bruder. | I am helping my brother. helfen forces the dative: meinem. |
| Der Film gefällt mir. | I like the film. Der Film is the subject; mir is dative. |
| Das Haus gehört meinen Eltern. | The house belongs to my parents. Dative plural: meinen Eltern. |
Two objects in one sentence
When a verb has both objects, the default order with two nouns is dative before accusative: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. Pronouns move forward, and when both objects are pronouns, the accusative comes first: Ich gebe es ihm.
| Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. | I give the man the book. Dative noun before accusative noun. |
| Ich gebe es ihm. | I give it to him. With two pronouns, accusative before dative. |
Memorize one model sentence for each pattern: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. Ich gebe es ihm. Recite them until the order feels wrong any other way.
Pronunciation corner
Dative forms are short and unstressed in fast speech. Learn them clearly first.
| dem | /deːm/ | dame, with a long clear e |
| mir | /miːɐ̯/ | meer, with the r fading into an ah glide |
| helfen | /ˈhɛlfn̩/ | HEL-fn. The final syllable is a swallowed n, no full e. |
| gefällt | /ɡəˈfɛlt/ | guh-FELT, stress on the second syllable |
| zu | /tsuː/ | tsoo, with the crisp German ts at the start |
Practice drill
Fill each blank with the dative form of the word in brackets.
Ich helfe ___ Mann. (der)Show answer
dem
Sie dankt ___ Lehrerin. (die)Show answer
der
Das Auto gehört ___ Eltern. (meine)Show answer
meinenDative plural, and Eltern already ends in -n.
Er fährt mit ___ Zug. (der)Show answer
dem
Der Film gefällt ___. (ich)Show answer
mirThe liked thing is the subject; the person is dative.
Wir wohnen bei ___ Großmutter. (unsere)Show answer
unserer
Antwortest du ___? (er)Show answer
ihmantworten takes the dative.
Sie spielt mit ___ Kindern. (die)Show answer
denmit plus dative plural.
Frequently asked questions
What question finds the dative object?
Ask wem, to whom. I show the photo to whom? To the teacher: der Lehrerin. The wen/wem pair is the fastest practical test for accusative versus dative.
Why is it ich helfe dir and never ich helfe dich?
Helfen belongs to a fixed group of verbs that govern the dative. There is no deeper logic to derive in each sentence. Learn the verb together with its case, as one chunk: helfen plus dative.
What is the extra -n in den Kindern?
The dative plural adds -n to the noun itself unless it already ends in -n or -s. Die Kinder becomes den Kindern, die Autos stays den Autos. Say the -n clearly; it marks the case.
Which object comes first, dative or accusative?
With two nouns, dative first: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. A pronoun jumps in front of a noun, and with two pronouns the accusative leads: Ich gebe es ihm.
Related deep dives