I. Theory
In English, the word order and the preposition to is used to convey the indirect recipient of certain verbs. In German, to express the idea of something being done to or for someone, the dative case is used and the “to” is often inferred.| Sie hat mir 100 Euro gegeben. She gave 100 euros to me. Schreibt er dir jeden Tag? Does he write to you every day? |
II. Differences from English
Since the words “to” or “for” often mark the usage of the dative for English speakers, it is important to note that there are several verbs that take an indirect object that do not take one in English. For example: we say “I help you” and not “I help to you”.| Kannst du mir helfen? Can you help me? Ich folge dem Reiseführer durch das Schloss. I am following the tour guide through the castle. Nach der Party habe ich dem Gastgeber gedankt. After the party, I thanked the host. Ich traue ihm nicht. I don’t trust him. Er hat mir geraten, die Position zu akzeptieren. He advised me to accept the position. |
III. Dative Object as Subject
There a few common verbs in German that use an indirect object where a subject in used in English: gefallen, fehlen , leidtun, and gelingen.| Die Musik gefällt mir nicht. I don’t like the music. Ihnen fehlt das Geld. They lack the money. Es tut ihm leid. He is sorry. |
IV. Common Dative Verbs
Below is a list of some frequently used verbs that take the dative:| passieren | gratulieren | |
| wehtun | drohen | |
| begegnen | zusagen | |
| dienen | zustimmen | |
| passen | widersprechen | |
| schmecken | antworten | |
| geschehen | erzählen |