Ich helfe meinem Bruder.
English: I help my brother.
- Language
- German
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Verben und Verbformen
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Some German verbs always use the dative case for their object. This means the person or thing affected by the action is in the dative, not the accusative.
When to use it
Use the dative case after certain verbs, like 'helfen', 'danken', 'gratulieren', 'gefallen', and 'gehören'. These verbs always take a dative object, not an accusative one.
Key forms
- Ich helfe dir.
- Er dankt seiner Mutter.
- Wir gratulieren dem Freund.
Examples
Sie dankt dem Lehrer.
English: She thanks the teacher.
Wir gratulieren der Frau.
English: We congratulate the woman.
Das Buch gehört mir.
English: The book belongs to me.
Der Film gefällt dem Kind.
English: The child likes the movie.
Tips
- Always check if a verb needs the dative case. Not all verbs use accusative.
- Remember to change the article and pronoun to the dative form (dem, der, mir, dir, etc.).
- Do not use 'den' for feminine nouns in dative; use 'der'.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some verbs can take both dative and accusative, but with different meanings, like 'schreiben' (Ich schreibe dir einen Brief: dative and accusative).