German verbs with Dativ (no preposition)¶
Some German verbs take an object in Dativ, with no preposition. This often doesn't match what English speakers expect. For example, you "help him" in English, but helfen takes Dativ: Ich helfe ihm. So learn the case together with the verb. If cases in general are still confusing, start with "German cases".
Verbs with a single Dativ object¶
| Verb | Pattern | English |
|---|---|---|
| antworten | + Dativ | to answer someone |
| danken | + Dativ | to thank someone |
| folgen | + Dativ | to follow someone |
| gefallen | + Dativ | to please/appeal to someone |
| gehören | + Dativ | to belong to someone |
| glauben | + Dativ | to believe someone |
| gratulieren | + Dativ | to congratulate someone |
| helfen | + Dativ | to help someone |
| raten | + Dativ | to advise someone |
| schaden | + Dativ | to harm someone/something |
| schmecken | + Dativ | to taste good to someone |
| vertrauen | + Dativ | to trust someone |
| zuhören | + Dativ | to listen to someone |
Verbs with two objects (Dativ + Akkusativ)¶
These verbs take two objects. The receiver takes Dativ, and the thing takes Akkusativ: Ich gebe dir (Dativ) das Buch (Akkusativ).
| Verb | Pattern | English |
|---|---|---|
| bringen | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to bring |
| erlauben | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to allow |
| erzählen | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to tell |
| geben | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to give |
| kaufen | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to buy |
| leihen | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to lend |
| sagen | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to tell/say |
| schenken | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to give as a gift |
| schicken | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to send |
| schreiben | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to write |
| verbieten | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to forbid |
| versprechen | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to promise |
| wegnehmen | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to take away |
| zeigen | + Dativ + Akkusativ | to show |
Usually the receiver comes before the thing, as in English. But if the thing is a pronoun, it comes first: Ich gebe es dir.
Exercises¶
You can find more exercises on this topic in the Telegram bot @ImmerWiederholenBot. The bot saves your progress and reminds you when it's time to review.
See also¶
- Verbs with prepositions: many of these verbs are also used with a preposition, for example helfen bei.
- German cases: start here if cases in general are still confusing.