German Dative Verbs: 38 Essential Verbs with Examples & Quiz
Table of Contents
Introduction: Mastering German Dative Verbs
Learning German dative verbs is essential for building a strong grammar foundation. This guide will help you understand common dative verbs, how to use them, and offers a quiz to test your skills. Let’s start!
What are German Dative Verbs?
Dative verbs in German always take the dative case. While fewer than accusative verbs, learning these first will strengthen your German grammar basics.
Dative Verbs List
German
English
ähneln
to resemble
antworten
to answer
auffallen
to stand out
ausweichen
to dodge
begegnen
to meet
beistehen
to stand by/support
beitreten
to join
danken
to thank
dienen
to serve
drohen
to threaten
einfallen
to come to mind
entgegenkommen
to come towards
erlauben
to allow
fehlen
to be missing
folgen
to follow
gefallen
to like
gehören
to belong to
gehorchen
to obey
gelingen
to succeed
genügen
to suffice
glauben
to believe
gratulieren
to congratulate
gut tun
to be good for
helfen
to help
misslingen
to fail
nachlaufen
to run after
nutzen
to use
passen
to fit
passieren
to happen
raten
to advise
schaden
to harm
vertrauen
to trust
verzeihen
to forgive
wehtun
to hurt
widersprechen
to contradict
zuhören
to listen to
zustimmen
to agree
zusehen
to watch
These are common German verbs using the dative case if they have an object. Some of these verbs can be used without any object and then there would be no dative needed e.g zustimmen. Ich stimme zu (I agree).
A focused learner practicing German dative verbs through note-taking to improve grammar skills.
Dative Verbs with Example Sentences
German
English
Example Sentence
ähneln
to resemble
Er ähnelt seinem Vater sehr.
(He is very similar to his father.)
antworten
to answer
Tina möchte ihm nicht antworten.
(Tina doesn’t want to answer him.)
auffallen
to stand out/to notice
Der Fehler ist dem Lehrer sofort aufgefallen.
(The teacher noticed the mistake immediately.)
ausweichen
to dodge/avoid
Der Radfahrer musste dem Auto ausweichen.
(The cyclist had to avoid the car.)
begegnen
to meet/bump into someone
Ich begegnete ihr gestern auf dem Weg zur Arbeit.
(I bumped into her yesterday on my way to work.)
beistehen
to stand by/support
Tom steht seiner Freundin in schwierigen Zeiten bei.
(Tom stands by his girlfriend in difficult times.)
beitreten
to join
Ich möchte dem Tennisverein beitreten.
(I would like to join the tennis club.)
danken
to thank
Sie dankte dem Feuerwehrmann von ganzem Herzen.
(She thanked the firefighter from the bottom of her heart.)
dienen
to serve
Früher dienten viele Leute Grafen und Fürsten.
(In the past, many people served counts and princes.)
drohen
to threaten
Der Lehrer droht den Schülern mit extra Hausaufgaben.
(The teacher threatens the pupils with extra homework.)
einfallen
to come to mind/think of
Fällt dir noch etwas ein?
(Can you think of anything else?)
entgegenkommen
to come towards
Mir kommt ein Auto entgegen.
(A car comes towards me.)
erlauben
to allow
Die Eltern erlauben den Kindern, lange aufzubleiben.
(The parents allow the children to stay up late.)
fehlen
to be missing
Nur Anna fehlt noch, dann sind wir komplett.
(Only Anna is still missing, then we are complete.)
folgen
to follow
Thomas folgte dem schmalen Weg.
(Thomas followed the narrow path.)
gefallen
to like
Die Hose gefällt der Studentin.
(The student likes the trousers.)
gehören
to belong to
Die Unterlagen gehören Tim.
(The documents belong to Tim.)
gehorchen
to obey
Die Kinder gehorchten ihrem Vater.
(The children obeyed their father.)
gelingen
to succeed
Andrè gelang es, die Aufgabe zu beenden.
(Andrè succeeded to finish the task.)
genügen
to suffice/to be enough
Das genügt mir.
(That’s enough for me.)
glauben
to believe
Marlene sagte, sie glaube dir kein Wort.
(Marlene said she didn’t believe a word you said.)
gratulieren
to congratulate
Wir gratulieren dir herzlich zum Geburtstag!
(We wish you a very happy birthday!)
gut tun
to be good for/do good
Der Urlaub hat Jenny gut getan.
(The holiday did Jenny good.)
helfen
to help
Er half einer alten Frau über die Straße.
(He helped an old woman across the road.)
misslingen
to fail
Der Kuchen ist mir total misslungen.
(I totally failed with the cake.)
nachlaufen
to run after
Mein Hund läuft mir immer nach.
(My dog always runs after me.)
nutzen
to use/to be of use
Es nutzt niemandem etwas, wenn wir den Schaden ignorieren.
(It is no use to anyone if we ignore the damage.)
passen
to fit
Die Jacke passt dem Mann nicht so gut.
(The jacket doesn’t fit the man so well.)
passieren
to happen
Es passiert David ständig, dass er zu spät kommt.
(It happens to David all the time that he is late.)
raten
to advise
Der Arzt hat ihm geraten, mehr Sport zu machen.
(The doctor advised him to do more sport.)
schaden
to harm
Rauchen schadet der Gesundheit.
(Smoking harms your health.)
vertrauen
to trust
Anna vertraute der Expertin voll und ganz.
(Anna trusted the expert completely.)
verzeihen
to forgive
Peter wird ihm nicht verzeihen.
(Peter won’t forgive him.)
wehtun
to hurt
Nach der gestrigen Wanderung tut Tina heute alles weh.
(After yesterday’s hike, everything hurts for Tina today.)
widersprechen
to contradict/disagree
Der Chef widerspricht seinem Mitarbeiter.
(The boss disagrees with his employee.)
zuhören
to listen to
Aisha hörte dem Professor gespannt zu.
(Aisha listened intently to the professor.)
zustimmen
to agree
Ich stimme dir in allen Punkten zu.
(I agree with you on all points.)
zusehen
to watch
Kann ich dir bei deiner Arbeit zusehen?
(Can I watch you at work?)
Dative Verbs: Free Quiz
It makes sense to practice the verbs that come with the dative case. You can find a free Quiz: here.
FAQ
What are the Cases in German?
The German language features four distinct cases. The nominative, used primarily for the subject, can be identified by asking ‘who’ or ‘what.’
The genitive denotes possession or ownership and is identified by asking ‘whose.’ The dative is for indirect objects, identified by asking ‘to whom’ or ‘for whom.’
Lastly, the accusative is used for direct objects that receive the action.
Why are the Cases in German important?
Understanding the cases in German is crucial as they are intertwined with many other grammar topics, such as articles, adjective endings, and relative clauses. The cases affect nouns, articles, and adjectives. Learn more about German cases: here
What is the Dative Case in German?
The dative case is a case in the German language. It is an indirect object and you ask “to whom” or “for Whom” to find a dative.
How do I learn the Dative?
To learn the dative it makes sense to learn it step-by step:
Learn Verbs with fixed prepositions (this is pretty advanced)
Shall I first learn Dative prepositions or Dative Verbs?
For many students it is easier to learn first the prepositions and then the verbs. The dative prepositions are used a lot in the German language, and there are less to learn compared to the verbs.
Are there also Accusative Verbs?
There are a lot of verbs coming with an accusative case. That is why it is more important to learn verbs that need a dative.
How can I Learn German Dative Verbs with Exercises?
