German Dative Verbs: List, Examples, and Free Quiz
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).
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 case, used primarily for the subject, can be identified by asking 'who' or 'what.' The genitive case denotes possession or ownership and is identified by asking 'whose.' The dative case is for indirect objects, identified by asking 'to whom' or 'for whom.' Lastly, the accusative case is used for direct objects that receive the action. Understanding these cases is crucial for mastering German grammar.
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:
- Understand the rules of the cases
- Learn all prepositions that are used with a dative
- Get to know the two-way prepositions
- Master the dative verbs
- 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?
You can find a free Quiz: here.
Article by Niko
Published 04 Jul 2024