10K+ students - 4.8/5
Learn with a teacher Learning materials included Practise conversation

Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn the German dative case with key articles like dem (masculine/neuter), der (feminine), and den (plural), focusing on indirect objects and questions with wem. Examples include Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch and Ich schenke den Kindern einen Ball.
  1. In the dative case, you ask "wem".
  2. In the plural, an "-n" is added to nouns in the dative case, unless the noun in the plural already ends in "-n" or "-s".
Genus / Numerus (Gender / Number)Bestimmter Artikel  (Definite article )Unbestimmter Artikel  (Indefinite Article )Beispiel  (Example )
Maskulin (Masculine)demeinemIch gebe dem (einem) Mann das Buch.
Feminin (Feminine)dereinerIch gebe der (einer) Frau den Schlüssel
Neutrum (Neuter)demeinemIch gebe dem (einem) Kind das Spielzeug.
Plural (Plural)den– (kein Artikel) (– (no article))Ich gebe (den) Kindern keinen Zucker.

Exercise 1: Nomen und Artikel - Dativ

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

den, einer, einem, der, dem

1. (Bestimmt):
Ich wünsche ... Mann ein frohes neues Jahr.
(I wish the man a happy new year.)
2. (Unbestimmt):
Sie bringt ... Frau die Geschenke.
(She brings a woman the gifts.)
3. (Unbstimmt):
Ich gebe ... Kind ein Geschenk.
(I give a child a present.)
4. (Bestimmt):
Das Buch gehört ... Schwester.
(The book belongs to the sister.)
5. (Bestimmt):
Die Feier gefällt ... Kindern.
(The children like the party.)
6. (Unbestimmt):
Wir helfen ... Freundin bei der Arbeit.
(We are helping a friend at work.)
7. (Bestimmt):
Die Feier gefällt ... Freunden.
(The party appeals to the friends.)
8. (Bestimmt):
Ich gebe ... Kollegin ein Stück Kuchen.
(I give the colleague a piece of cake.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Ich gebe ___ Mann das Buch.

(I give ___ man the book.)

2. Sie hilft ___ Frau bei den Einkäufen.

(She helps ___ woman with the shopping.)

3. Wir geben ___ Kind das Spielzeug.

(We give ___ child the toy.)

4. Ich schenke ___ Kindern einen Ball.

(I give ___ children a ball.)

5. Am Montag gebe ich ___ Kollegen die Dokumente.

(On Monday I give ___ colleague the documents.)

6. Im Januar schicke ich ___ Freundin eine Karte.

(In January I send ___ friend a card.)

Understanding Nouns and Articles in the Dative Case

This lesson covers the use of nouns and their corresponding articles in the German dative case. The dative case is essential for indicating the indirect object of a sentence, answering the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" something is given, done, or belongs.

Key Grammar Points

  • Dative Case Usage: It shows the indirect object in a sentence.
  • Articles Change by Gender and Number: Masculine and neuter nouns use "dem" for the definite article and "einem" for the indefinite article.
  • Feminine nouns take "der" (definite) and "einer" (indefinite).
  • Plural nouns use "den" as the definite article in dative, and usually no indefinite article is used. Additionally, plural nouns add an "-n" ending in the dative unless they already end with "-n" or "-s".

Examples

  • Ich gebe dem (einem) Mann das Buch. (I give the man the book.)
  • Ich gebe der (einer) Frau den Schlüssel. (I give the woman the key.)
  • Ich gebe dem (einem) Kind das Spielzeug. (I give the child the toy.)
  • Ich gebe (den) Kindern keinen Zucker. (I do not give the children sugar.)

Important Notes on the Plural

In the plural dative, nouns take an "-n" ending if they do not already end with "-n" or "-s". This feature is unique to German and helps identify the plural dative form clearly.

Comparison and Useful Expressions

Unlike English, which mostly uses word order and prepositions, German changes both the article and sometimes the noun ending to show the dative case. For example, the English phrase "to the man" corresponds to "dem Mann" in German—here, the article "dem" indicates the dative case.

Useful phrases connected to the dative case include:

  • wem? (to whom?) — the question word to identify the dative object.
  • geben (to give), helfen (to help), schicken (to send) — verbs often requiring a dative indirect object.

Being familiar with these forms makes it easier to understand sentence structure and communicate effectively in everyday situations.

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

Profile Picture

Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

University_Logo

Last Updated:

Wednesday, 16/07/2025 23:23