In German, certain verbs always take the Dative case for their objects.
Here’s a list of common
Dative verbs:
Most Common Dative Verbs
1. danken – to thank → Ich danke dir. (I thank you.)
2. helfen – to help → Er hilft mir. (He helps me.)
3. glauben – to believe → Ich glaube dir. (I believe you.)
4. gefallen – to please, to like → Das Buch gefällt mir. (I like the book.)
5. gehören – to belong to → Das gehört mir. (That belongs to me.)
6. passen – to fit, to suit → Das Kleid passt ihr. (The dress fits her.)
7. schmecken – to taste → Die Suppe schmeckt ihm. (He likes the soup.)
8. wehtun – to hurt → Der Kopf tut mir weh. (My head hurts.)
9. antworten – to answer → Er antwortet mir. (He answers me.)
10. gratulieren – to congratulate → Ich gratuliere dir zum Geburtstag. (I congratulate you on
your birthday.)
Other Useful Dative Verbs
11. folgen – to follow → Er folgt dem Lehrer. (He follows the teacher.)
12. vertrauen – to trust → Ich vertraue dir. (I trust you.)
13. verzeihen – to forgive → Er verzeiht mir. (He forgives me.)
14. zuhören – to listen to → Sie hört dem Lehrer zu. (She listens to the teacher.)
15. drohen – to threaten → Er droht mir. (He threatens me.)
16. fehlen – to be missing, to lack → Du fehlst mir. (I miss you.)
17. schaden – to harm → Rauchen schadet der Gesundheit. (Smoking harms health.)
18. gleichen – to resemble → Er gleicht seinem Bruder. (He resembles his brother.)
19. begegnen – to encounter, meet → Ich bin ihm begegnet. (I met him.)
20. nützen – to be useful → Das nützt mir nichts. (That doesn’t help me.)
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Most Common Dative Verbs
1. danken (to thank)
Explanation: You thank someone (Dative), not something.
Example: Ich danke dir für deine Hilfe. (I thank you for your help.)
2. helfen (to help)
Explanation: You help someone (Dative), not something.
Example: Kannst du mir bitte helfen? (Can you help me, please?)
3. glauben (to believe)
Explanation: You believe someone (Dative), not necessarily what they say.
Example: Ich glaube dir, aber nicht deiner Geschichte. (I believe you, but not your story.)
4. gefallen (to please, to like)
Explanation: In German, something pleases you (subject: thing, object: Dative person).
Example: Das Buch gefällt mir. (I like the book.)
5. gehören (to belong to)
Explanation: The owner takes the Dative case.
Example: Das Auto gehört meinem Bruder. (The car belongs to my brother.)
6. passen (to fit, to suit)
Explanation: Used for clothing or situations fitting someone.
Example: Das Kleid passt mir nicht. (The dress doesn’t fit me.)
7. schmecken (to taste)
Explanation: In German, food “tastes” to someone (Dative).
Example: Der Kuchen schmeckt mir sehr gut. (I really like the cake.)
8. wehtun (to hurt)
Explanation: The body part is the subject, the person feeling the pain is in Dative.
Example: Mein Kopf tut mir weh. (My head hurts.)
9. antworten (to answer)
Explanation: You answer to someone (Dative).
Example: Er antwortet mir nicht. (He doesn’t answer me.)
10. gratulieren (to congratulate)
Explanation: You congratulate someone (Dative) on something.
Example: Ich gratuliere dir zum Geburtstag! (I congratulate you on your birthday!)
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Other Useful Dative Verbs
11. folgen (to follow)
Explanation: The person being followed is in the Dative case.
Example: Der Hund folgt seinem Besitzer. (The dog follows its owner.)
12. vertrauen (to trust)
Explanation: You trust someone (Dative).
Example: Ich vertraue dir vollkommen. (I trust you completely.)
13. verzeihen (to forgive)
Explanation: You forgive someone (Dative), not something.
Example: Bitte verzeih mir! (Please forgive me!)
14. zuhören (to listen to)
Explanation: You listen to someone (Dative).
Example: Hörst du mir zu? (Are you listening to me?)
15. drohen (to threaten)
Explanation: You threaten someone (Dative).
Example: Er droht mir mit Konsequenzen. (He threatens me with consequences.)
16. fehlen (to be missing, to lack)
Explanation: Used when someone/something is missing for a person (Dative).
Example: Du fehlst mir sehr! (I miss you a lot!)
17. schaden (to harm, to damage)
Explanation: Something harms someone or something (Dative).
Example: Rauchen schadet der Gesundheit. (Smoking harms health.)
18. gleichen (to resemble, to look like)
Explanation: The person or thing being compared takes the Dative.
Example: Er gleicht seinem Vater sehr. (He resembles his father a lot.)
19. begegnen (to encounter, to meet by chance)
Explanation: Used for unplanned encounters. Always with sein in perfect tense.
Example: Ich bin ihm gestern begegnet. (I met him yesterday.)
20. nützen (to be useful, to benefit)
Explanation: Something is useful for someone (Dative).
Example: Das nützt mir nichts. (That doesn’t help me.)
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Summary
These verbs always take Dative and never an Accusative object.
Many involve giving, helping, feeling, or affecting someone.
Some require special sentence structures in English (e.g., Das gefällt mir → I like that).
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Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank
Complete the sentences with the correct Dative pronoun (mir, dir, ihm, ihr, uns, euch, ihnen).
1. Kannst du ____ helfen? (Can you help me?)
2. Der Kuchen schmeckt ____. (She likes the cake.)
3. Ich danke ____ für deine Hilfe. (I thank you for your help.)
4. Mein Kopf tut ____ weh. (My head hurts.)
5. Der Hund folgt ____. (The dog follows us.)
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Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Verb
Select the correct Dative verb for each sentence.
1. Ich ______ meiner Mutter zum Geburtstag. (gratulieren / antworten)
2. Der Pullover ______ mir nicht. (passen / helfen)
3. Die Musik ______ mir sehr. (gefallen / glauben)
4. Mein Freund ______ mir ein Geheimnis. (vertrauen / danken)
5. Er ______ mir nicht, wenn ich die Wahrheit sage. (glauben / folgen)
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Exercise 3: Translate into German
Translate the sentences using the correct Dative verbs.
1. I am listening to you.
2. He forgives her.
3. The teacher answers the student.
4. This dress doesn’t suit me.
5. My stomach hurts.
