What is Dative?

The dative is the third German case. There are four cases in the German language.



The German dative question is: "To whom, from whom, with whom, etc...?"
The dative usually shows that something is given TO SOMEBODY or received FROM SOMEBODY. It is also used for locations, to say where things are.

Dative - Overview

In the following table you can see what different words look like in the dative case. After that, there will be a more thorough explanation of how the dative is formed.

	definite article	indefinite article
der Hund - masculine	dem roten Fuchs	einem roten Fuchs
die Kanne - feminine	der hübschen Kanne	einer hübschen Kanne
das Schwein - neutral	dem kleinen Schwein	einem kleinen Schwein
die Kannen - plural	den hübschen Kannen	hübschen Kannen

How to Form the Dative

To know what form a noun takes, we need to know whether it is masculine, feminine, or neutral, plural, or singular. These are the criteria according to which the ending of the noun, as well as articles and adjectives that belong to this noun, change. (see next paragraph)

To find out whether a noun is masculine, feminine, or neutral, we have to look at the definite article in the nominative singular (the "normal case"). "Normally" we would say "die Schwester" (the sister), so "Schwester" is feminine.



WEM oder WAS wurde mein tägliches Gitarreüben bald zu viel?
My daily practice on the guitar became too much FOR WHOM?

This is a dative question. "Normally" we would say: "Die Schwestern" (nominative, feminine, plural), but as this is dative, we have to say: den Schwestern


Let's look at another example...

WEM oder WAS gab Marie einen Knochen?
Marie gave a bone TO WHOM?

This is a dative question. "Normally" we would say: "der Hund" (nominative, masculine, singular). But as this is dative, we have to say: dem Hund

Other Words that Change: Articles, Adjectives, Pronouns

All words that belong to the noun also need to change according to the case it stands in.


The words "MEINEN" and "BEIDEN" have to adjust to "SCHWESTERN" and be dative, feminine, and plural, too. "Meinen" is a pronoun, "beiden" is an adjective, and "Schwestern" is the noun.

Inseparable Friends

Some words feel close to the dative and are always with it. If you want to honor the dative, you should take some time to learn them.