The dative case in German is one of four grammatical cases, along with the nominative, accusative, and genitive. It is used to indicate indirect objects, beneficiaries, and locations.
Indirect objects are the people or things that receive the action of the verb indirectly. For example, in the sentence
“Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch,”
the dative noun “dem Mann” is the indirect object because it receives the action of the verb “geben” (to give).
Beneficiaries are the people or things that benefit from the action of the verb. For example, in the sentence
“Ich helfe dem Kind,”
the dative noun “dem Kind” is the beneficiary because it benefits from the action of the verb “helfen” (to help).
Locations are the places where the action of the verb takes place. For example, in the sentence
“Ich gehe zum Bahnhof,”
the dative noun “zum Bahnhof” is the location because it is the place where the action of the verb “gehen” (to go) takes place.
The dative case is formed by adding the following endings to the noun:
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die |
| Accusative | den | die |
| Dative | dem | den |
| Genitive | des | der |
Here are some examples of dative nouns:
- Dem Mann gebe ich das Buch. (I am giving the man the book.)
- Der Frau helfe ich. (I am helping the woman.)
- Dem Kind gehe ich zum Bahnhof. (I am going to the station with the child.)
- Den Kindern kaufe ich neue Bücher. (I am buying new books for the children.)
The dative case can also be used with prepositions. For example, the prepositions zu (to), für (for), and mit (with) can be used with the dative case.
Here are some examples of dative nouns with prepositions:
- Ich gehe zu dem Mann. (I am going to the man.)
- Ich kaufe ein Buch für den Jungen. (I am buying a book for the boy.)
- Ich fahre mit dem Auto zum Bahnhof. (I am driving to the station by car.)
- Ich gebe den Kindern das Spielzeug. (I am giving the children the toys.)
examples for you
The dative case is an important part of German grammar. It is used in a variety of contexts, and it is important to understand how to use it correctly.