The Common German Verbs Always Take the Dative Case (2024)

In the following chart you'll find those German verbs that take a "direct" object in thedativecase rather than the normal accusative case.

The "dative verbs" category is a rather loose classification because almost any transitive verb can have a dativeindirectobject. But in general, a dative verb is one that normally takes an object in the dative case—usually without any other object. The list below doesnotinclude such "normal" verbs, as geben(give) orzeigen (show, indicate), that commonly have both a direct and an indirect object (as in English):Er gibt mir das Buch.—miris the indirect object (dative) andBuchis the direct object (accusative).

In addition to the single-word English translation, many dative verbs can be translated with a to-phrase:antworten, to give an answer to;danken, to give thanks to;gefallen, to be pleasing to; etc. This favorite grammar trick of many German teachers does not always hold up (as withfolgen, to follow). But this "to" aspect does have some basis in the German grammar of some dative verbs, in that they are not actually taking a true direct object.Ich glaube dir nicht.(I don't believe you.) is short forIch glaube es dir nicht—in whichesis the true direct object anddiris a sort of "dative of possession" that could be translated "of you" (i.e., "I don't believe it of you.").

However, even if you are one of those rare people who find all this dative grammar fascinating, it is best to simply learn the more common dative verbs. Thus, the chart below, which lists themost common dative verbs—those that you should learn first.

Note that many dative verbs also have an accusative be- prefix variation: antworten/beantworten, danken/bedanken, etc.

Most FrequentlyUsed Dative Verbs