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Verbs with dative and dative + accusative

A2

Some verbs take the dative: Ich danke dir. Others take dative and accusative together: Ich gebe dir das Buch. Here you learn which verbs need which complement and in what order.

  • Verbs governing the dative
  • Verbs taking dative + accusative
  • Dative case

Grammar → Verbs with dative and dative + accusative

Explanation

Some verbs require their object in the dative. This is a fixed list you learn: helfen, danken, gefallen, gehören, gratulieren, passen, schmecken, wehtun, fehlen, antworten.

The question for the dative is wem?: Ich helfe dem Mann. Das Buch gehört der Frau.

In the dative the articles change: der → dem, die → der, das → dem, plural die → den. Personal pronouns in the dative are: mir, dir, ihm, ihr, uns, euch, ihnen.

Other verbs have two objects: a person in the dative (wem?) and a thing in the accusative (was?). These include geben, schenken, zeigen, bringen, erklären.

The person (recipient) usually comes before the thing: Ich schenke dem Bruder einen Ball. Er zeigt dem Kind das Bild.

VerbQuestionExample
helfenwem?Ich helfe dem Mann.
gefallenwem?Das Haus gefällt der Frau.
gehörenwem?Das Auto gehört dem Kind.
gebenwem? + was?Ich gebe dem Freund das Buch.
schenkenwem? + was?Sie schenkt dem Bruder einen Ball.

Find words

Which dative form fits?

Who gets the dative?

Put sentences in order

Fill in the blanks

Grammar in context

Read these texts to consolidate what you learned. They fit this grammar lesson especially well.

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City or country? Mirko is looking for a new apartment.

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The Soccer Game

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Soccer game or Grandma's birthday? Tim has to decide.

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