Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ACCUSATIVE
Accusative is the direct object. It answers: wen (who) and was (what)?
Ich liebe es. Ich lese das Buch. Ich sehe dich.
Accusative refers to the direct object. It also relates to movement through a place and
answers the question, “where to or who to?”
The accusative usually appears with other cases. It is always the direct object.
(The predicate is the verb. It governs the action and case of a sentence or clause.)
DATIVE
Dative is the receiver or indirect object. It answers the question where or in what place?
In English a direct object is linked to a verb through the use of “to”, thereby creating the
English dative form, since “to” suggests a giver and receiver.
In German there is no equivalent preposition. Instead, the article and adjectives take on
the dative ending.
As above, there are often two objects in a sentence. The accusative and the dative
object.
The dative object receivies. For example, “Ich hilfe ihm”. Here the object is receiving
help and is therefore dative. However, there are exceptions, such as, “Ich liebe dich”
which is accusative. One must simply learn which verbs are dative.
Dative is also used when referring to a stationary object. (This is mainly due to the use
of dative prepositions.) Any sentences that asks “wo” or “wann” is also dative.
Dative. English.
Im Keller. In the cellar.
Am Montag. On (the) Monday.
Die Dusche ist im Schlafzimmer. The shower is in the bedroom.
Im Restaurant. In the restaurant.
In der Kneipe. In the pub.
Ich wohne im ersten Stock. I live on the first floor.
When there is no movement the sentence is dative, however when there is movement it
becomes accusative.
2
Ich setze mich auf den Stuhl. Movement.
Dative is used when there is no movement or movement within a place. For example,
“Ich bin im Park gelaufen“.
Moreover, the dative is used often for possession rather than the genitive. For example:
Much of what determines the case of a sentence is the case of the verb.
Dative verbs.
Dative Definition Dative Definition
antworten To answer. gehören To belong.
begegnen To meet. glauben To believe.
denken To thank. raten To advise.
fehlen To be lacking. vertrauen To trust.
gefallen To please. helfen To help.
wünschen To wish.
Very often, a sentence will have numerous clauses, each in a different case. For
example, “wünschen” is a dative verb. Therefore I must write, “Ich wünsche dir…”
Since I must be sending my wishes to someone or something, the second part of any
sentence beginning with this phrase naturally asks, “who or what”, making this second
part of the sentence accusative.
Dative Accusative
Ich wünsche dir ein schönes Wochenende.
The German dative always suggests giving, even when the verb “geben” is not being
used. For example:
GENITIVE
Genitive is the possessive. It is used most commonly when the English construction “of
the” is required. For example, “Der Herr der Ringe“.
In the sentence, Meine Tasche ist gut, the genitive gives information as to who owns
something, however it is not possessive.
“Mein” is providing more information about the subject, yet it is still nominative.