![]() However, when you’re talking about washing a specific part of your body, such as your hands, you will have to adjust the original sentence. ![]() When you want to say that you’re having a wash in German, you might say, ‘Ich wasche mich.’ – in this case, you will have to use the accusative ( mich, not mir – more on that later). The same goes for other descriptive words, such as: warm (warm), schlecht (bad), gut (good), and so on. ![]() In English, one might say, ‘I’m bored.’ But in German, you will have to say, ‘Mir ist langweilig.’ (It is boring to me.) When describing how you’re feeling in German, you will often have to use the dative. Much like with most German grammar rules and exceptions, you will have to memorize these. There are also some phrases in German that always use dative. To learn more about those, check out this amazing video by Herr Antrim: There are, of course, more verbs that require the dative. Kannst du mir helfen? (Can you help me?).Let’s also look at some example sentences: Here are some of the most common dative verbs: ![]() These verbs always take a direct dative object, no matter what. Whenever you spot one of these verbs, you can stop thinking about indirect/direct objects and all the complex rules we’ve been over. VerbsĬertain verbs always take the German dative case. Use accusative when referring to direction/movement ( where to/wohin?). Remember to always use dative when you’re talking about the location/position ( where/wo?). If you’re talking about direction, use the accusative.If you’re talking about location/position, use the dative.When deciding whether to use dative or accusative, remember this simple rule: Often, these prepositions refer to a location/direction. There are a handful of prepositions that can be paired with either dative or accusative, depending on the context. Unfortunately, not all prepositions take just one case. You’ll know to go straight for dative! Location/position vs. Once you’ve memorized them, you won’t have to think about any complex grammar rules. The good news is, however, that all these prepositions always take the German dative case. The bad news is that you will simply have to memorize these – there is no going around that. There are a couple of prepositions that always take the dative. This is because you have to know which preposition is followed by which case. PrepositionsĪs you may be aware, German prepositions can often be tricky. (You give the book to the child.)Ĭan you see how we use words in the dative case for the recipient of the direct object? You give the flowers to your mother – the mother is the recipient of the flowers. An indirect object is usually the noun or phrase that receives the direct object. The most common use of the German dative case is when you’re referring to an indirect object in a sentence. There are a couple of different circumstances that require the dative. When To Use The German Dative Caseīefore we jump into how to use dative and what the different forms of dative look like, it’s important you understand when to use the dative. If you’d like to learn more about what cases are and why you need them, check out our complete guide to German cases. Wem gehört das Fahrrad? – To whom does this bike belong? (Whose bike is this?).This is because, in German, you use the dative when you ask/answer questions beginning with Wem/Was? – for example: It’s also known as Wem-Fall (meaning whom-case). These are:Īs you can see, the dative is the third German case. In this post, we’ll go over all the things you need to get started on your journey to master the dative. All you need is the right strategy and enough patience. While that may sound daunting, don’t panic just yet! Learning the German dative case might not be the easiest thing you’ll ever do, but it’s certainly not impossible. To truly understand how and when to use the case, you’ll need to learn about articles, verbs, prepositions, indirect objects, word order, and more. It’s not a question of just memorizing a couple of tables – there is so much more to dative. Mastering the German dative case is no easy task.
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