The German Dative Case
Use dem, der and mir/dir/ihm for the receiver, add the dative plural -n, and recognise dative verbs and prepositions.
The dative marks the person who receives or benefits: you give something to someone. It also follows common prepositions like mit, bei and zu.
Every article changes in the dative, so it's worth learning the table once and properly.
The dative is the receiver
With verbs like geben, schenken, zeigen and schreiben, the person is dative and the thing is accusative. Ask Wem? (to whom?) to find it.
Ich gebe dem Kellner das Trinkgeld.
I give the waiter the tip.
Sie schreibt ihrer Oma eine Karte.
She's writing her grandma a card.
Dative forms
Masculine and neuter share dem; feminine switches to der. Watch the pronouns: mir, dir, ihm are among the most used words in German.
Definite article
- Masculinedem
- Feminineder
- Neuterdem
- Pluraldennoun adds -n
Indefinite article
- Masculineeinem
- Feminineeiner
- Neutereinem
Negative article
- Masculinekeinem
- Femininekeiner
- Neuterkeinem
- Pluralkeinen
Personal pronouns
- ichmir
- dudir
- er / esihm
- sie (she)ihr
- wiruns
- ihreuch
- sie / Sieihnen / Ihnen
Dative plural adds -n
In the dative plural the noun itself takes -n. Skip it if the plural already ends in -n or -s.
Plural → dative plural
- die Kinderden Kindern
- die Freundeden Freunden
- die Frauenden Frauenalready ends in -n
- die Autosden Autosplural -s: no -n
Er spielt gern mit den Kindern.
He likes playing with the children.
Ich danke meinen Freunden.
I thank my friends.
Dative verbs and prepositions
- helfen, danken, gefallen, gehören, antworten take a dative object.
- aus, bei, mit, nach, seit, von, zu always take the dative.
- Feelings often use dative: Mir ist kalt.
Das Kleid gefällt mir.
I like the dress.
Wir fahren mit dem Zug nach Hamburg.
We're going to Hamburg by train.
Common mistakes
✗
Ich helfe dich.✓ Ich helfe dir.
helfen always takes the dative.
✗
Ich gehe mit meine Freunde ins Kino.✓ Ich gehe mit meinen Freunden ins Kino.
mit + dative plural: meinen, and the noun adds -n.
✗
Ich bin kalt.✓ Mir ist kalt.
Feeling cold uses the dative: 'to me it is cold'.
Questions learners ask
Which comes first, the dative or the accusative object?
With two nouns, the dative usually comes first: Ich gebe dem Kind den Ball. If the accusative is a pronoun, it goes first: Ich gebe ihn dem Kind.
Is dem only for masculine nouns?
No, dem is used for both masculine and neuter nouns. Feminine nouns take der in the dative.
Why do nouns get -n in the dative plural?
It's one of the few case endings German nouns still keep. Add it unless the plural already ends in -n or -s.