Understanding Possessive Articles in the Dative Case
This lesson focuses on the use of possessive articles in the dative case in German. Possessive articles indicate ownership or association and must agree with the indirect object of the sentence, showing to whom something is given or for whom something happens.
The Role of the Dative Case
In German, the dative case is used primarily for indirect objects – in other words, the person or entity that is the recipient or beneficiary of an action. When using possessive articles here, they must change according to the gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural) of the noun they refer to.
Possessive Articles Table
Here is a summary of the possessive articles in the dative case for different persons:
Person | Masculine / Neuter | Feminine | Plural |
---|
Ich (I) | meinem | meiner | meinen |
Du (You singular informal) | deinem | deiner | deinen |
Er / Es (He / It) | seinem | seiner | seinen |
Sie (She) | ihrem | ihrer | ihren |
Wir (We) | unserem | unserer | unseren |
Ihr (You plural informal) | eurem | eurer | euren |
Sie (They) | ihrem | ihrer | ihren |
Key Points to Remember
- Possessive articles must match the gender and number of the noun they describe in dative case.
Example: "Ich gebe meinem Freund das Buch." (I give my friend the book.) - In plural, the possessive article commonly ends with -en in the dative.
Example: "Ich leihe meinen Kollegen Geld." (I lend my colleagues money.) - Masculine and neuter nouns share the same possessive article endings in dative: -em.
- Feminine nouns take the ending -er.
Useful German Phrases From Lesson Examples
- Ich gebe meinem Freund das Geld für das Buch.
- Kannst du deiner Mutter das Geschenk bringen?
- Wir geben unserem Kollegen genug Geld.
- Sie zeigt ihrer Freundin die Münzen.
- Ich leihe meinen Kollegen etwas Geld.
- Der Verkäufer gibt ihrem Kunden das Wechselgeld.
Differences and Useful Notes for English Speakers
Unlike English, German requires possessive articles to change depending on case, gender, and number, especially in indirect object positions marked by dative case. English possessive adjectives like "my", "your", "his" do not change form according to the noun's case. Learning the specific endings (meinem, meiner, meinen) is essential.
Practice phrases that combine a verb, an indirect object, and a possessive article, such as "Ich gebe meinem Freund das Buch" (I give my friend the book), help internalize this grammatical structure.
Remember the key prepositions and verbs that require dative (e.g., geben – to give, zeigen – to show, leihen – to lend) as these trigger the use of dative possessive articles.