The dative case is one of the four grammatical cases in the German language, used to show the indirect object of a verb. In other words, it indicates the receiver of an action or the person or thing that something is given to or done for.
For example, in the sentence “Ich gebe dem Mann ein Buch” (I give the man a book), “dem Mann” is in the dative case, as it shows the person receiving the book.
The definite articles (der, die, das, and die for plural), the indefinite articles (ein, eine, and ein) as well as personal pronoun (like mein, dein, unser etc) also change in the dativ case as follows:
Masculine :
- Nominative (subject): der / ein /mein
- Dative (receiver): dem / einem, meinem
Feminine:
- Nominative (subject): die / eine / meine
- Dative (receiver): der / einer / meiner
Neuter:
- Nominative (subject): das / ein
- Dative (receiver): dem / einem
Plural:
- Nominative (subject): die / ihre
- Dative (receiver): den, keinen / ihren
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There are certain prepositions that always require the dative case:
- aus (out of, from)
- außer (except for, besides)
- bei (at, near, with)
- gegenüber (opposite, across from)
- mit (with)
- nach (after, to)
- seit (since, for)
- von (from, by, of)
- zu (to, at)
For example:
- Ich komme aus der Schule. (I come from school.)
There are some other prepositions that always require the sometimes require the dative case, depending on the context.
These prepositions can take either the accusative or the dative case, depending on the context. They are called “two-way” or “dual-case” prepositions:
- an (at, on, to)
- auf (on, upon, onto)
- hinter (behind)
- in (in, into)
- neben (next to, beside)
- über (over, above)
- unter (under, below)
- vor (in front of, before)
- zwischen (between)
These prepositions require the dative case when describing a location or a state (static), and the accusative case when describing a direction or a movement (dynamic).
For example:
- Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (The book is on the table.) – Dative, because it’s a static situation.
- Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. (I put the book on the table.) – Accusative, because it’s a dynamic situation (movement).
Remember to use the correct dative case endings for articles and adjectives when using dative verbs or prepositions.
There are also verbs that require the dative case for their objects:
- antworten (to answer)
- danken (to thank)
- gefallen (to please, to like)
- gehören (to belong to)
- glauben (to believe)
- helfen (to help)
- schmecken (to taste)
- vertrauen (to trust)
- zuhören (to listen to)
For example:
Ich helfe dem Kind. (I help the child.)
Remember, the dative case is used to indicate the receiver of an action or the person or thing that something is given to or done for. When using dative verbs or prepositions, make sure to use the correct dative case endings for articles and adjectives.
Quiz:
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