The classic use of the dative in German is to mark the indirect object of a sentence, which is the noun that receives something or benefits from an action.
However, the dative case has several other uses in German as well.
It can mark the object of a dative preposition, like mit meaning with:
dative prepositiondativeMit dem Brief möchte ich meine Großmutter überraschen.Translation: With the letter, I want to surprise my grandmother.It marks the object of a two-case preposition, when that object is a static location:
two-case prepositiondative (location)Ich bin heute mitten auf dem Pausenhof ausgerutscht.Translation: I slipped in the middle of the playground today.It is used alongside certain adjectives:
dativeadjectiveMann, war mir das peinlich!Translation: Man, was I embarrassed!
In this article, we’ll describe how to form the dative case, discuss its major uses, and point you towards further resources where you can learn more. Let’s dive in!
How to form the dative case in German?
Like other cases in German, the dative case is primarily marked by adding endings to pronouns or to the articles, adjectives, and other determiners that precede a noun. The noun itself only takes a dative ending in the plural.
Do you remember the case ending mnemonic we introduced in our post on German definite articles?
RESE
NESE
MRMN
SRSR
You say: “Ree-see, nee-see, merman, sir sir!”
In this mnemonic, the MRMN section represents the dative endings. Can you see all of the dative endings in the chart below? Works like a charm!
| Word Type | Masculine -M | Feminine -R | Neuter -M | Plural -N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ihm | ihr | ihm | ihnen | |
dem guten Tag | der guten Woche | dem guten Jahr | den guten Monaten | |
einem guten Tag | einer guten Woche | einem guten Jahr | — | |
diesem guten Tag | dieser guten Woche | diesem guten Jahr | diesen guten Monaten | |
meinem guten Tag | meiner guten Woche | meinem guten Jahr | meinen guten Monaten | |
gutem Tag | guter Woche | gutem Jahr | guten Monaten |
Here are some tips to remember:
As a rule of thumb: If you see an article ending in -m, you got yourself a dative!
Be a little careful with feminine nouns, since the dative and the genitive case take the same -r ending. (The definite article der is also used for the nominative masculine too!)
Note that the noun itself does not take an ending, unless it’s in the plural (or if the noun is a strong noun).
If you want to learn more about the different forms of any of the word types above, follow the links in the table!
When to use the dative case in German?
In German, the dative case is used for indirect objects, for the objects of certain prepositions, and to represent individuals that experience certain states represented by adjectives. Let’s have a look at each of these uses one-by-one.
The indirect object: Which German verbs take the dative case?
In German, the dative case is used to mark the indirect object of a verb. So if a verb takes an indirect object, that noun will be in the dative case.
The indirect object of a sentence is the noun that receives something or otherwise benefits from an action, but is not directly affected by the action of a verb. The indirect object is usually the noun “to which” something is transferred or “for whom” it was done.
Many verbs that take an indirect object will also take a direct object (which does directly undergo the action of the verb).
However, in German, some verbs take only an indirect object in the dative case. With these verbs, the indirect object is still generally receiving something or benefitting from the action, though here it can be a bit more abstract.
Check out this list of common verbs that take the dative case to get a better idea of the sorts of actions that take indirect objects in German!
What are dative prepositions in German?
In German, dative prepositions are prepositions that are used to introduce a noun in the dative case. Some of the most common ones are: aus meaning out of, von meaning from, mit meaning with, bei meaning at, and seit meaning since.
Check out our post on German dative prepositions for a much longer list and more examples!
When to use the dative with two-case prepositions in German?
The dative case is used after a two-case preposition when the noun represents the location of the action rather than a goal towards which the action is moving.
Two-case prepositions in German are words like in meaning in, into or unter meaning under that can either be used to describe the location of some action or the direction in which some movement is heading. We use the dative only when such prepositions are used to describe a location. If they describe the direction of movement we use the accusative instead.
Wo? Translation: Where? | two-case prepositiondative Die Milch ist im Kühlschrank. Translation: The milk is in the fridge. im = in meaning in + dem meaning the, dat. |
Wohin? Translation: Where to? | two-case prepositionaccusative Bitte stelle die Milch in den Kühlschrank. Translation: Please put the milk into the fridge. |
Which German adjectives take the dative case?
In German, adjectives that are used with the dative case usually have to do with emotions or physical sensations that can be experienced. The experiencer is given in the dative case. Such adjectives are often introduced by sein meaning to be or werden meaning become.
Often these adjectives can be used with the nominative case as well, but there is a distinction in meaning. The nominative is used for an adjective describing a fixed property, whereas the dative is used to express a passing state:
This distinction is made in adjectives expressing emotions, feelings or physical sensations: heiss meaning feel hot, kalt meaning feel cold, übel meaning feel sick, schlecht meaning feel sick, schwindlig meaning feel dizzy etc.
Check out this list of adjectives that commonly trigger the dative to see more examples!
Summary
With the dative in your German backpack, you’re well equipped to juggle verbs and their objects like a linguistic circus artist! To recap, in this article, we have learned the following points about the dative:
Use the endings MRMN to mark a word in the dative case.
Here are the major uses of this case:
to mark an indirect object
after dative prepositions
after two-case prepositions, if you’re describing a location
alongside certain adjectives that describe experiences or emotions
It is important to practice using the dative case in context and to become familiar with the various verbs, prepositions, and pronouns that require it. Why not go for it right away with German dative case exercises? Happy learning!
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