The German Dative Case for Beginners
After this lesson you can use dem, der and den when something is given to someone.
Do this first: Akkusativ
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Type the missing word
2 / 8 · Type the missing word
3 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
I give the man the book.
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
She is helping the woman.
5 / 8 · Choose
Which question finds the dative?
6 / 8 · Choose
Which preposition does NOT take the dative?
7 / 8 · Choose
zu dem contracts to…
8 / 8 · Choose
zu der contracts to…
In short
The dative marks the indirect object — the person something is given, said or sent to. der and das become dem, die becomes der, and the plural becomes den + an -n on the noun: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.
How it works
If the accusative is what is being acted on, the dative is who it happens *to*. Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch — I give the book (accusative, the thing) to the man (dative, the recipient). To find it, ask wem — "to whom".
Unlike the accusative, every gender changes here, so this one genuinely has to be learned. Masculine and neuter both become dem, feminine becomes der — which is confusing at first, because der is also the masculine nominative. The plural becomes den, and the noun itself takes an extra -n: die Kinder → den Kindern.
In practice you will meet the dative through prepositions far more often than through indirect objects, and there is a fixed list worth memorising as a block: mit, nach, aus, zu, von, bei, seit. Everything after one of these is dative, always — mit dem Bus, nach der Arbeit, zu dem Arzt (usually contracted to zum). A small group of very common verbs also takes a dative object directly: helfen, danken, gehören, gefallen.
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative | Dative |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | der | den | **dem** |
| feminine | die | die | **der** |
| neuter | das | das | **dem** |
| plural | die | die | **den** + noun -n |
| German | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mit | with, by | mit dem Bus |
| nach | after, to (a place) | nach der Arbeit |
| aus | from, out of | aus der Schweiz |
| zu | to (a person/place) | zu dem Arzt → zum Arzt |
| von | from, of | von der Mutter |
| bei | at, near, with | bei dem Bäcker → beim Bäcker |
| seit | since, for | seit einem Jahr |
| Full | Contracted |
|---|---|
| zu dem | zum |
| zu der | zur |
| bei dem | beim |
| von dem | vom |
| in dem | im |
| an dem | am |
Examples
- Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.I give the man the book.
- Sie hilft der Frau.She is helping the woman.
- Ich fahre mit dem Bus.I go by bus.
- Nach der Arbeit gehe ich nach Hause.After work I go home.
- Ich komme aus der Schweiz.I'm from Switzerland.
- Wir gehen zum Arzt.We are going to the doctor.
- Das Buch gehört dem Kind.The book belongs to the child.
- Ich wohne seit einem Jahr hier.I have lived here for a year.
- Er arbeitet bei einer Bank.He works at a bank.
- Ich spiele mit den Kindern.I am playing with the children.
Mistakes to avoid
✗ mit der Bus
✓ mit dem Bus
mit always takes the dative, and Bus is masculine, so der becomes dem. Get the seven prepositions automatic and most of the dative takes care of itself.
✗ mit den Kinder
✓ mit den Kindern
The dative plural adds an -n to the noun as well as changing the article. Kinder → Kindern, Freunde → Freunden.
✗ Ich helfe den Mann.
✓ Ich helfe dem Mann.
helfen takes a dative object, not accusative — as do danken, gehören, gefallen and antworten. They have to be learned individually.
✗ Seeing der and assuming masculine
✓ Checking the context
der is both masculine nominative and feminine dative. Der Frau is dative feminine, not a gender mistake.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| der Dativ | the dative case | |
| wem? | to whom? (dative) | |
| mit | with, by | |
| nach | after; to (a place) | |
| aus | from, out of | |
| zu | to | |
| bei | at, with, near | |
| seit | since, for | |
| helfen | to help | takes the dative |
| gehören | to belong to | takes the dative |
Kulturnotiz
The dative is the case behind half the fixed phrases you will hear daily: Wie geht es dir?, Mir ist kalt, Das gefällt mir, Es tut mir leid. None of them are optional politeness — they are the ordinary way to say how you are, that you are cold, that you like something and that you are sorry. Learning the case makes all four suddenly make sense at once.
Common questions
+What does the dative mark?
The indirect object — the person something is given, said, sent or done to. Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch: the book is accusative, the man is dative.
+Which prepositions always take the dative?
mit, nach, aus, zu, von, bei, seit. Learn them as a block — they come up far more often than indirect objects do, and everything after them is dative without exception.
+Why does the plural noun get an extra -n?
It is a leftover dative plural ending. die Kinder → den Kindern, die Freunde → den Freunden. Nouns whose plural already ends in -n or -s do not add another.
+Why is der sometimes feminine?
Because der is masculine in the nominative but feminine in the dative. Der Frau is "to the woman" — the same word doing a different job. Context and the preposition tell you which.