Verbs with Dative in German

Overview

In English, verbs like "help," "thank," and "believe" take a direct object: "I help him." In German, these same verbs require a dative object instead of an accusative one: "Ich helfe ihm." This is one of the trickiest aspects of German grammar at the A2 level because there is no obvious logic — you simply have to learn which verbs demand the dative.

The group of dative verbs is not enormous, but it includes many high-frequency verbs that you will use daily. Verbs like helfen (to help), gefallen (to please/like), gehören (to belong to), danken (to thank), and schmecken (to taste good to) all take dative objects. The common thread is that many of these verbs describe an experience, benefit, or effect directed toward someone rather than a direct physical action on someone.

Learning these verbs as a set — and always practicing them with dative pronouns — is the most effective strategy.

How It Works

Common Verbs That Take the Dative

German Verb	English	Example
helfen	to help	Ich helfe dir.
gefallen	to please / to like	Das gefällt mir.
gehören	to belong to	Das Buch gehört ihm.
danken	to thank	Ich danke Ihnen.
schmecken	to taste (good to)	Der Kuchen schmeckt mir.
passen	to fit / to suit	Die Schuhe passen ihr.
fehlen	to be missing / to miss	Du fehlst mir.
antworten	to answer	Er antwortet dem Lehrer.
glauben	to believe (someone)	Ich glaube dir.
gratulieren	to congratulate	Wir gratulieren dir.
folgen	to follow	Der Hund folgt dem Kind.
vertrauen	to trust	Ich vertraue ihm.

Sentence Structure

With dative verbs, the dative object fills the role that an accusative object would with other verbs:

• Regular verb: Ich sehe ihn. (accusative — I see him.)
• Dative verb: Ich helfe ihm. (dative — I help him.)

The sentence structure is the same; only the case of the object changes.

Verbs with dative + accusative

Some verbs take both a dative (person) and accusative (thing) object:

Verb	Dative (person)	Accusative (thing)	Example
geben	wem?	was?	Ich gebe dir das Buch.
zeigen	wem?	was?	Er zeigt mir die Stadt.
schenken	wem?	was?	Sie schenkt ihm eine Uhr.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Das Essen schmeckt mir.	I like the food.	Literally: the food tastes to me
Der Mantel gehört ihr.	The coat belongs to her.	Possession with gehören
Ich danke Ihnen.	I thank you. (formal)	Danken + dative
Die Hose passt mir nicht.	The trousers don't fit me.	Passen + dative
Du fehlst mir sehr.	I miss you a lot.	Literally: you are missing to me
Kannst du mir bitte helfen?	Can you please help me?	Helfen + dative
Ich glaube dir nicht.	I don't believe you.	Glauben + dative (for a person)
Wir gratulieren dir zum Geburtstag!	We congratulate you on your birthday!	Gratulieren + dative
Er antwortet dem Lehrer nicht.	He doesn't answer the teacher.	Antworten + dative
Der Film hat mir gut gefallen.	I really liked the film.	Gefallen + dative

Common Mistakes

Using accusative instead of dative

• Wrong: Ich helfe dich.
• Right: Ich helfe dir.
• Why: "Helfen" requires a dative object. The dative of "du" is "dir," not "dich."

Translating "like" as a direct object

• Wrong: Ich gefalle das Buch.
• Right: Das Buch gefällt mir.
• Why: "Gefallen" works differently from English "like." The thing you like is the subject; you are the dative object. Literally: "The book pleases to me."

Forgetting the dative with schmecken

• Wrong: Ich schmecke den Kuchen. (intending "I like the cake")
• Right: Der Kuchen schmeckt mir.
• Why: "Ich schmecke den Kuchen" means "I taste the cake" (the act of tasting). "Der Kuchen schmeckt mir" means "The cake tastes good to me" (I like how it tastes).

Usage Notes

Many dative verbs describe experiences where the subject "acts upon" someone in an indirect way — the food pleases you, the shoes fit you, the person is missing from your life. This experiencer pattern is the conceptual link between most dative verbs, even though it is not a reliable rule for predicting new ones.

In everyday conversation, Germans frequently use these verbs with pronouns: "Gefällt's dir?" (Do you like it?), "Schmeckt's?" (Does it taste good?), "Hilf mir mal!" (Help me out!). Learning the pronoun forms alongside the verbs makes your speech much more natural.

Practice Tips

1. Memorize the top 10 dative verbs as a set and practice each one with all the dative pronouns: "Es gefällt mir, dir, ihm, ihr, uns, euch, ihnen."
2. Create mini-dialogues using dative verbs: "Schmeckt dir die Suppe?" — "Ja, sie schmeckt mir gut." "Gehört dir das Buch?" — "Nein, es gehört ihm." This builds conversational fluency.
3. When you learn a new verb, always note whether it takes accusative, dative, or both. German dictionaries mark this — look for "jdm." (jemandem = someone in dative) or "jdn." (jemanden = someone in accusative).

Related Concepts

• Dative Pronouns — the pronoun forms you need with these verbs