Dativ - Wem?
Dativ — for English Speakers
Introduction
The dative marks the indirect object — the person receiving something. English shows this with word order ('I give him the book') or with 'to' ('I give the book to him'). German changes the article instead: der → dem, die → der, das → dem. All three genders change, unlike accusative where only masculine shifts.
German vs English
In German
Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. (to the man)
In English
I give the man the book. / I give the book to the man.
Key Difference
English uses 'to' or word order; German changes the article (der → dem).
In German
Sie hilft mir. (mir = dative 'me')
In English
She helps me. ('me' = object form)
Key Difference
Some German verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen) take dative where English uses a direct object.
Common Mistakes for English Speakers
Ich gebe der Mann das Buch.
Forgetting to change the article — English 'the man' stays the same regardless of role in sentence.
Ich helfe er.
Using nominative instead of dative pronoun — 'helfen' requires dative in German.
Practice Examples
Ich gebe dem Kind einen Ball.
I give the child a ball.
Er schreibt seiner Mutter.
He writes to his mother.
Kannst du mir helfen?
Can you help me?
Memory Tip
Dative = 'delivery' case — someone RECEIVES something. Ask 'to whom?' and that's your dative.
View Grammar Rule
Dativ - Wem?
Dativ — A2
Practice Exercises
Dativ - Wem? Übungen
7 exercises
Other Languages
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