Introduction to german language....

German is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Globally, German is spoken by approximately 120 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native speakers. Standard German is widely taught in schools, universities and Goethe Institutes worldwide....



Origins

The history of the language begins with the High German consonant shift during the migration period, separating Old High German dialects fromOld Saxon. The earliest testimonies of Old High German are from scattered Elder Futhark inscriptions, especially in Alemannic, from the 6th century AD; the earliest glosses (Abrogans) date to the 8th; and the oldest coherent texts (the Hildebrandslied, the Muspilli and the Merseburg Incantations) to the 9th century. Old Saxon at this time belongs to the North Sea Germanic cultural sphere, and Low Saxon should fall under German rather than Anglo-Frisian influence during the Holy Roman Empire.

As Germany was divided into many different states, the only force working for a unification or standardization of German during a period of several hundred years was the general preference of writers trying to write in a way that could be understood in the largest possible area.

The Accusative Case

German cases are four: the nominative case (subject of the sentence); the accusative case (the direct object); the dative case (the indirect object), and the genitive case (possessive). Cases are not something strange to English, pronouns for example use a certain kind of cases, for example we say “he speaks”, and “give him” and not “give he”, did you see how “he” became “him” in the second example, well the same thing happens in German, the only difference is that in German it’s much more widely used, not only in pronouns, even nouns/ adjectives/ articles … use the same thing. The German case indicates the role of an element in a sentence








German Nominative Case
Definite Articles
Indefinite Articles
Personal Pronouns
Adjectives (masc., fem, neuter, plural)
Der, die, das, die
(they all means the)
Ein, Eine, Ein
(they all mean a, an)
Ich, du, er, sie,
wir, ihr, sie.
(I, you, he, she...)
Weißer, weiße, weißes, weiße
(all these forms mean white)

These are just some examples to show the nominative form of some elements such as articles, pronouns, adjectives. Note that the nominative case can be used in a much wider scope such as in Nouns, interrogative pronouns…what comes next will help you notice the difference between Nominative and what the other 3 German cases.

German Accusative

Now we will learn the second case in German which is the accusative, the good news is that apart from the masculine, the other 2 genders + the plural (feminine, neuter and plural) look just like the Nominative. Now let’s learn what the accusative really is. The accusative case is considered the direct object. I see the teacher, “the teacher” is the direct object of the sentence, and therefore would take the accusative form, and since “the teacher” is masculine it will become in German “den Lehrer” and not “der Lehrer” as in the nominative case. I see the teacher = Ich sehe den Lehrer.

German Accusative Case
Definite Articles
Indefinite Articles
Personal Pronouns
Adjectives (masc., fem, neuter, plural)
Den, die, das, die
(they all means the)
Einen, Eine, Ein
(they all mean a, an)
mich, dich, ihn, sie,
uns, euch, sie.
(me, you, him, her...)
Weißen, weiße, weißes, weiße
(all these forms mean white)

Let’s get adjectives involved as well. I see the young teacher = ich sehe den jungen Lehrer. Young in German is jung, but since we’re using the accusative case, then the adjective should copy the article it follows, which is “den/ the” = masculine, so “den jungen”. If you look at the table above you will understand why we added “en” after the adjective “jung”.

German Dative

Now things will get serious because the dative case is very important in German, and it also changes in all the 3 genders + the plural (masculine, feminine, neuter and plural). But first let’s learn what the Dative means. The Dative in German is just like the indirect object in English, or in other words, it’s like the receiver of the direct object. So for example: I give the book to him, “I” is the subject of the sentence, “the book” is the direct object, and “him” is the receiver, therefore also called the indirect object, in which we’re interested when it comes to the dative case.

German Dative Case
Definite Articles
Indefinite Articles
Personal Pronouns
Adjectives (masc., fem, neuter)
Dem, der, dem, den (they all means to the)
Einem, Einer, Einem
(they all mean to a, to an)
mir, dir, ihm, ihr,
uns, euch, ihnen.
(to me, to you, to him, to her...)
Weißen, weißen, weißen, weißen
(all these forms mean to white)

Usually the equivalent of the dative case in English would include “to”, like our example above, I give the book to him, I send it to him, I show it to him… but in German that “to” is usually included in the expression used, for example “to him = ihm” “to the = dem” …so it’s not that complicated after all.

German Genitive

Finally we will learn the genitive in German. It’s not used as often as the other cases, but still has its own importance, because the genitive in German means possession, or in other words it means the expression “of…” or “’s”. The book of my teacher = das Buch meines Lehrers.

German Genitive Case
Definite Articles
Indefinite Articles
Personal Pronouns
Adjectives (masc., fem, neuter)
Des, der, des, der (they all means of the)
Eines, Einer, Eines
(they all mean of a, of an)
mir, dir, ihm, ihr,
uns, euch, ihnen.
(to me, to you, to him, to her...)
Weißen, weißen, weißen, weiße
(all these forms mean white)

Note that nouns in the masculine and neuter take an “s” at the end, as in our example: The book of my teacher = das Buch meines Lehrers.
Feminine and plural nouns don’t take any “s” at the end. More detailed information would be in the German Nouns page. Also you can check out the adjectives and articles page to see how they form in different cases with some examples. Good luck!




The Accusative Case (der Akkusativ)

In English:
In standard English, the direct object is marked either by word order or by certain forms of personal pronoun (me, us, him, her, and them). Thus the difference between "Dog bites man" and "Man bites dog" is clear, as is the difference between "I see her" and "She sees me."

In German:
The accusative case has several functions in German. It is marked in a variety of ways, with word order being the least important. The accusative personal pronouns are:
 mich = me 
 uns = us
 dich = you
 euch = y'all 
 
 Sie = you 
 ihn = him
 sie = her
 es = it
 sie =them 
There are accusative forms for other pronouns: man becomes einen, keiner becomes keinen, and wer becomes wen. In colloquial speech, jemand is usually the same in both the nominative and the accusative, but jemanden is possible. The reflexive pronoun "sich" can indicate either the accusative or dative form of er, sie (= she), es, Sie, or sie (= they).
Articles and adjective endings also mark the accusative case. Note that the adjective endings depend not only on gender, but also on whether they follow a "der-word," an "ein-word" or no article at all

Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural

den roten Stuhl 
die neue Lampe 
das alte Buch 
die roten Stühle 
keinen roten Stuhl
keine neue Lampe 
kein altes Buch 
keine neuen Lampen 
roten Stuhl
neue Lampe 
altes Buch 
alte Bücher 




There is also a class of so-called weak masculine nouns that take an "-n" in the accusative case (as well as in the dative and genitive cases). Among these nouns are those that end in "-e" (except Käse [cheese]):
 der Mensch
 den Menschen
 [human]
 der Nachbar
 den Nachbarn
 [neighbor]
 der Herr
 den Herrn
 [lord; gentleman] 
 der Held
 den Helden
 [hero]
 der Name
 den Namen
 [name]
 der Kunde
 den Kunden
 [customer]
 der Junge
 den Jungen
 [boy]
 der Experte
 den Experten
 [expert]
 der Glaube
 den Glauben
 [belief]
 der Wille
 den Willen
 [will]
 der Gedanke
 den Gedanken
 [thought]
 der Türke
 den Türken
 [Turk]
 der Jude
 den Juden
 [Jew]
 der Russe
 den Russen
 [Russian]
 der Kollege
 den Kollegen
 [colleague]
 der Riese
 den Riesen
 [giant]
Other endings of weak nouns are "-ant," "-arch," "-ege," "-ent," "-ist," "-oge," "-om," "-oph," and "-ot." Some examples:
 der Buddist
 [Buddhist]
 der Katholik
 [Catholic]
 der Protestant
 [Protestant]
 der Pilot
 [pilot] 
 der Student
 [student]
 der Komödiant
 [comedian]
 der Astronom
 [astronomer] 
 der Patriarch
 [patriarch]
 der Philosoph
 [philosopher]
 der Fotograf
 [photographer]
 der Enthusiast
 [enthusiast]
 der Anthropologe
 [anthropologist]

Again: note that all of these nouns are masculine. Furthermore, their plural forms are the same as their accusative forms: e.g., den Studenten; die Studenten. ("Herr" is an exception: den Herrn; die Herren).
Typically, dictionaries identify weak nouns by giving not only the plural but also the weak ending: "der Bauer (-n, -n) farmer, peasant." This first ending cited is actually that of the genitive case, but with weak nouns the accusative and the genitive are usually identical.


Uses of the accusative case:
  • To designate the direct object of a verb. This includes the expression es gibt:
Es gibt noch eine Menge zu tun.
There's still a lot to do.
Sie sucht einen reichen Mann.
She's looking for a rich husband.
Arbeit macht das Leben süß.
Work makes life sweet.
Er schreibt ihr einen langen Brief. 
He writes her a long letter.
Er trifft den Nagel auf den Kopf. 
He hits the nail on the head.
Denn wen der Herr liebt, den züchtigt er wie ein Vater den Sohn, den er gern hat. 
For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as the father the son in whom he delighteth.
  •  
  • A great many verbs to distinguish direct and indirect objects through a combination of the accusative and dative: "Sie gibt es mir"; "Er schenkt seiner Mutter ein Buch." One would expect fragen, kosten, and lehren to follow the same pattern, but they do not; both objects are accusative:
Darf ich dich etwas Persönliches fragen?2
 
May I ask you something personal?
Das hat mich eine Menge Geld gekostet. 
That cost me a bunch of money.
Sie lehrt mich die deutsche Sprache.
She's teaching me the German language.

  • The so-called "cognate accusative" marks a noun that completes or specifies the idea of the verb, even when it is not necessarily a direct object:
Wir fahren am liebsten Rad.
We prefer to bike.
Sie läuft Ski.
She skis.
Wir schliefen den Schlaf des Gerechten. 
We slept the sleep of the just.
Er starb den Tod eines Helden. 
He died a hero's death.
Sie fährt nur erste Klasse. 
She always travels first-class.
Meine Großmutter spielt sehr gut Tennis. 
My grandmother plays tennis very well.
Wir laufen Gefahr, den Zug zu verpassen. 
We run the risk of missing the train.

  • To indicate specific time (when no prepositions are involved):
Was machst du nächste Woche?
What're you doing next week?
Jeden Samstag essen wir auswärts.
We eat out every Saturday. 
Letztes Jahr sind wir ans Meer gefahren. 
Last year we drove to the ocean.

  • To express a measurement:
Er ist zwei Meter groß.
He's two meters tall. (= 6' 6.7")
Er ist einen halben Kopf größer als ich.
He's half a head taller than me.
Das Mädchen ist ein Jahr alt.
The girl is one year old. 
Er geht einen Schritt zurück.
He goes one step back. 
Der Ort liegt eine Stunde von der Stadt.
The place is an hour from the city. 

  • As the case for certain standard greetings and wishes. The implication is that the speaker is wishing the other something (e.g. "Gute Nacht" is short for "Ich wünsche dir eine gute Nacht." Other examples:
Guten Morgen.
Good morning.
Schönen Tag noch.
Have a nice (rest of the) day. 
Herzlichen Glückwunsch!  
Congratulations!
Vielen Dank.
Many thanks. 
Gute Besserung.
Get well.
Guten Appetit.
Bon appetit. 

With prepositions:


  • As the object of the following prepositions: bis, durch, für, gegen, ohne, um, and wider:
Er bleibt bis nächste Woche.
He's staying until next week.
Die Liebe geht durch den Magen.
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. 
Er tut alles für sein Kind. 
He does everything for his child.
Was hast du gegen ihn? 
What do you have against him?
Ohne mich! 
Count me out!
Seine Handlung war wider das Gesetz.  
His action was against the law.
  • Under certain circumstances with the following "two-way" prepositions: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, entlang, über, unter, vor, and zwischen. When these prepositions delineate a spacial area, and the verb indicates movement that crosses the border into that area, the preposition takes the accusative (if the action is entirely with the area, then it takes the dative case):
Sie fährt hinter das Haus.
She drives behind the house (into the area behind the house).
Er legt die Bestecke neben den Teller.
He puts the silverware next to the plate (into the area next to the plate). 
Der Hund läuft zwischen die Häuser.
The dog runs between the houses (through or into the area between the houses).
  •  
  • These prepositional phrases are often contracted:
Er geht ans Fenster.
He goes to the window.
Sie setzt sich aufs Sofa.
She sits down on the sofa. 
Ein Fremder kommt ins Haus.
A stranger comes into the house.
Wir fahren heute aufs Land.
We're driving to the country. 
Die Brücke führt übers Wasser.  
The bridge leads across the water. 
  •  
  • When these two-way prepositions define time, rather than space, they take the dative. The exceptions are auf and über:
Er geht auf (für) ein Jahr nach Mainz.  
He's going to Mainz for a year.
Der Vortrag hat über eine Stunde gedauert.  
The talk lasted over an hour.
Was machst du übers Wochenende?
What're you doing over the weekend? 
  •  
  • These two-way prepositions take the accusative case in many idioms, as well. A few examples:


Sie denkt oft an ihre alte Lehrerin.
She often thinks of her old teacher.
Er glaubt an mehrere Götter.
He believes in several gods.
Wir erinnern uns gern an unsere Kindheit.
We like to remember our childhood.
Ich kann mich nicht an seine schreckliche Stimme gewöhnen.
I can't get used to his terrible voice.
Ich warte auf meine Freundin.
I'm waiting for my girlfriend.
Das geht dich nichts an.
That's none of your business.
Können Sie auf meine Frage antworten?
Can you answer my question?
Wir hoffen auf besseres Wetter.
We're hoping for better weather.
Es ist kein Wunder, dass sie auf dich böse ist.
It's no wonder that she's mad at you.
Wir haben keine Aussichten auf eine bessere Zukunft.
We have no indications of a better future.
Leider müssen wir auf den Film verzichten.
Unfortunately we'll have to do without the film.
Unsere Kinder sind verrückt auf ihren neuen Coach.
Our children are crazy about their new coach.
Er hat gar nicht auf meinen Vorschlag reagiert.
He never reacted to my suggestion.
Du kannst auf dich stolz sein.
You can be proud of yourself.
Er hat sich total in sie verliebt.
He's totally fallen in love with her.
Wir sind glücklich über das neue Haus.
We're happy about the new house.
Ich freue mich auf deinen Besuch.
I'm looking forward to your visit.
Wir sprechen gerade über die politische Situation.
We're just now talking about the political situation.
1 The so-called "der-words" are the articles der, die, das; dies-, jed-, jen-, manch-, solch-, welch-.
The "ein-words" are ein, kein, and the possessive pronouns: mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, Ihr, ihr


Dative Case (der Dativ)
In English:
In standard English, the indirect object is marked either by a prepositional phrase, word order or by certain forms of personal pronoun (me, us, him, her, and them). Thus: "He gave his girlfriend a diamond ring;" "He gave a diamond ring to his girlfriend;" "He gave her it;" or "He gave it to her."

In German:
The dative case has several functions in German. It is marked in a variety of ways, with word order being the least important. The dative personal pronouns are:
 mir = me 
 uns = us
 dir = you
 euch = y'all 
 
 Ihnen = you 
 ihm = him
 ihr = her
 ihm = it
 ihnen =they 
There are dative forms for other pronouns: man becomes einem, keiner becomes keinem, and wer becomes wem. In colloquial speech, jemand is more common, but jemandem is possible. The reflexive pronoun "sich" can indicate either the accusative or dative form of er, sie (= she), es, Sie, or sie (= they).
As with the nominative and accusative cases, articles and adjective endings mark the dative, but here there is no distinction between a "der-word" and an "ein-word." However, endings are still different when there is no article at all. Note that plural nouns themseves receive an "-n" unless they already end in "-n" or "-s":1

Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural

dem roten Stuhl 
der neuen Lampe 
dem alten Buch 
den roten Stühlen 
rotem Stuhl
neuer Lampe 
altem Buch 
alten Büchern 
As in the accusative case, the so-called weak masculine nouns take an "-n" (or "-en") in the dative (as well as in the genitive). Among these nouns are those that end in "-e" (except Käse [cheese]):
 nom. 
 acc. 
 dat. 
 
 der Mensch
 den Menschen
 dem Menschen
 [human]
 der Nachbar
 den Nachbarn
 dem Nachbarn
 [neighbor]
 der Herr
 den Herrn
 dem Herrn
 [lord; gentleman] 
 der Held
 den Helden
 dem Helden
 [hero]
 nom. 
 acc. 
 dat. 
 
 der Name
 den Namen
 dem Namen
 [name]
 der Kunde
 den Kunden
 dem Kunden
 [customer]
 der Junge
 den Jungen
 dem Jungen
 [boy]
 der Experte
 den Experten
 dem Experten
 [expert]
 nom. 
 acc. 
 dat. 
 
 der Glaube
 den Glauben
 dem Glauben
 [belief]
 der Wille
 den Willen
 dem Willen
 [will]
 der Gedanke
 den Gedanken
 dem Gedanken
 [thought]
 der Türke
 den Türken
 dem Türken
 [Turk]
 nom. 
 acc. 
 dat. 
 
 der Jude
 den Juden
 dem Juden
 [Jew]
 der Russe
 den Russen
 dem Russen
 [Russian]
 der Kollege
 den Kollegen
 dem Kollegen
 [colleague]
 der Riese
 den Riesen
 dem Riesen
 [giant]
Other endings of weak nouns are "-ant," "-arch," "-ege," "-ent," "-ist," "-oge," "-om," "-oph," and "-ot." Some examples:
 der Buddist
 [Buddhist]
 der Katholik
 [Catholic]
 der Protestant
 [Protestant]
 der Pilot
 [pilot] 
 der Student
 [student]
 der Komödiant
 [comedian]
 der Astronom
 [astronomer] 
 der Patriarch
 [patriarch]
 der Philosoph
 [philosopher]
 der Fotograf
 [photographer]
 der Enthusiast
 [enthusiast]
 der Anthropologe
 [anthropologist]

Again: note that all of these nouns are masculine. Furthermore, their plural forms are the same as their dative singular forms: e.g., dem Studenten; [plural:] Studenten. ("Herr" is an exception: den Herrn; [plural:] Herren).
Typically, dictionaries identify weak nouns by giving not only the plural but also the weak ending: "der Bauer (-n, -n) farmer, peasant." This first ending cited is actually that of the genitive case, but with weak nouns the dative and the genitive are usually identical. There are a few exceptions.
One neuter noun is also weak in the dative (and takes an "-ens" in the genitive):
 nom. 
 acc. 
 dat. 
 gen. 
 
 das Herz
 das Herz
 dem Herzen
 des Herzens
 [heart]

Uses of the dative case:
  • To designate the indirect object of a verb.
Er erzählt seinen Kindern eine Geschichte.
He tells his children a story.
Sie schreibt mir eine E-mail.
She writes me an e-mail.
Er erklärte seiner Frau, warum er ihr ganzes Geld auf dieses Pferd setzte.
He explained to his wife why he put all his money on this horse. 
Er schreibt ihr einen langen Brief. 
He writes her a long letter.
Was schenken Sie ihrem Vater zum Geburtstag? 
What are you giving your father for his birthday?
Kannst du das der Polizei beweisen? 
Can you prove that to the police?

  • When there are two objects (direct and indirect): a dative noun precedes an accusation noun; an accusative pronoun precedes a dative pronoun; and a pronoun always a noun:
Ich gebe dem Mann ein Buch. 
Ich gebe es dem Mann.
Ich gebe ihm das Buch.
Ich gebe es ihm.
  • It is possible to change this word order for emphasis, e.g. "Ich habe das Buch dem Mann gegeben (und nicht der Frau)."
  • Some verbs take the dative case even though logic would suggest the accusative:
Sie glaubt mir nicht.2 
She doesn't believe me.
Ich danke dir. 
I thank you.
Kannst du mir verzeihen? 
Can you forgive me?
Helfen Sie mir!
Help me!
Er hat ihr nicht geantwortet.
Er didn't answer her.
Sie folgte ihrem Mann durch die Tür.
She followed her husband through the door.
Das Kind gehorcht seinen Eltern gar nicht. 
The child doesn't obey its parents at all.
Der Wagen gehört meiner Schwester. 
The car belongs to my sister.
Was ist dir geschehen? 
What happened to you?
Ich bin ihr oft in der Stadt begegnet. 
I often ran into her in town.
Sie ähnelt ihrer Mutter. 
She resembles her mother.
Eine Entschuldigung genügt uns nicht. 
An apology isn't enough for us.
Ich gratuliere dir zu deinem Nobelpreis.
I congratulate you on your Nobel Prize.
Seine Rede hat mir sehr imponiert.
His speech impressed me very much. 
Deine Ausreden nützen uns wenig. 
Your excuses aren't much use to us.
Sein Name fällt mir nicht ein. 
His name doesn't occur to me.
Ich rate dir, mit dem Bus zu fahren. 
I advise you to go by bus.
Das schadet ihm nicht.
That does him no harm.
Immer schmeichelt er seinem Chef.
He flatters his boss all the time. 
Du kannst mir trauen. 
You can trust me.
Widersprechen Sie mir nicht. 
Don't contradict me.
  •  
  • A number of verbs with the inseparable prefix ent- or the separable nach- take dative objects:
Du kannst deinem Schicksal nicht entgehen. 
You can't escape/avoid your fate.
Er konnte der Polizei nicht entkommen. 
He couldn't escape the police.
Der Hund ist mir entlaufen.
The dog ran away from me. 
Sie will diesen Problemen nachgehen.
She wants to investigate these problems. 
Fahr los. Wir kommen dir später nach.
Start driving. We'll follow you later. 
Der Hund läuft der Katze nach.
The dog chases after the cat. 
  • Still other verbs with the separable prefixes bei- and zu- take dative objects:
Sie steht ihrem Mann bei. 
She helps/stands by her husband.
Wir wollen der Sitzung beiwohnen. 
We want to attend the meeting.
Hören Sie mir bitte gut zu.
Please listen to me closely. 
Die Unbekannte lächelt ihm zu.
The unknown woman smiles at him. 
Während sie spielt, schauen ihr die Männer zu. 
The men watch her while she plays. 
Sie ist dagegen, und ich stimme ihr zu.
She's against it, and I agree with her. 
Er wollte einer linken Partei beitreten.
He wanted to join a leftist party. 
  •  
  • With some verbs, the dative object would become the subject in an English translation:
Die richtigen Leute fehlen uns.
We lack/are missing the right people 
Dein neuer Freund gefällt mir.
I like your new friend. 
Beim dritten Versuch gelingt es uns. 
We succeed on the third try.
Deine Frau tut mir Leid.
I feel sorry for your wife. 

  • The so-called "dative of interest" establishes a point of view. Here too, the dative object can often be rendered as the subject in English:
Es ist mir kalt. 
I'm cold.
Jetzt reicht's mir aber! 
I've had enough of that!
Seine Haltung passt ihr nicht.
She doesn't like his attitude. 
Ist Ihnen nicht wohl?
Don't you feel well? 
Wie geht's dir? 
How are you? 
Das kommt mir irgendwie bekannt vor.
That somehow seems familiar to me. 
Ist der Stuhl dir unbequem?
Is the chair uncomfortable for you? 
Das war meinem Mann zu dumm.
My husband found that too stupid. 
  •  
  • The "dative of interest" often appears with predicate adjectives or predicate nominatives:

Das ist meiner Mutter besonders interessant. 
That's especially interesting to my mother. 
Meine Kinder sind mir eine einzige Freude.
My children are nothing but a joy to me. 
Das ist ihm sehr peinlich. 
That's very embarrassing to him.
Sie ist ihrem Mann in allem weit überlegen. 
She vastly superior to her husband in all things.
Diese Mode ist Europäern völlig unbekannt.
This fashion is wholly unknown to Europeans. 
Wir sind Ihnen sehr dankbar.
We're very grateful to you. 
Das ist dir bestimmt leicht. 
That's surely easy for you. 
Ihr Anruf ist uns sehr wichtig. 
Your call is very important to us. 
Das ist mir unmöglich.
That's impossible for me. 
Die Jacke ist ihr zu teuer.
The jacket is too expensive for her. 
Das scheint mir richtig zu sein.
That seems correct to me. 

  • The dative can also indicate toward whom an action is directed, especially when parts of the body are involved:

Sie haut ihm eins in die Fresse. 
She pops him one in the chops.
Sie klopft ihm auf die Schulter.
She taps him on the shoulder. 
Tut Ihnen der Kopf weh?
Do you have a headache? 
Ich muss meiner Tochter die Schuhe anziehen. 
I have to put my daughter's shoes on (her). 
Er hat ihr die Nase gebrochen.
He broke her nose.
Ich will ihm den Kopf waschen
"I'll wash his head" (= I'm going to give him a piece of my mind).
Sie putzt ihm die Zähne.
She brushes his teeth.

  • Of course the reflexive is used when the the action is directed back toward the subject:
Du sollst dir die Zähne putzen.
You ought to brush your teeth.
Ich habe mir den Finger gebrochen. 
I broke my finger.
Er kämmt sich die Haare.
He combs his hair.
Sie färbt sich die Haare.
She dyes her hair.
Er rasiert sich die Beine.
He shaves his legs. 
Ich wasche mir die Hände in Unschuld.
I will wash my hands in innocency (Psalms 26: 6)
  •  
With prepositions:
  • The object of the following prepositions is always in the dative: aus, außer, bei, gegenüber, mit, nach, seit, von, and zu. Note that "bei dem," "vom dem," "zu dem," and "zu der" are normally contracted:
Die Katze sprang aus dem Fenster.
The cat jumped out of the window.
Er war aus dem Häuschen.
He was over the moon.
Außer deinem Bruder taugt deine Familie nicht viel.
Except for your brother, your family isn't worth much. 
Sollen wir bei mir Essen? 
Should we eat at my place?
Die Mönche reden nicht beim Essen. 
The monks don't talk while eating.
Bei diesem Wetter bleiben wir lieber zu Hause. 
In this weather it would be better to stay home.
Wer sitzt mir gegenüber? 
Who's sitting across from me?
Er tanzt mit seiner Frau.  
He's dancing with his wife.
Fährst du mit der Bahn oder mit dem Wagen?  
Are you going by train or by car?
Nach dem Film gehen wir zu dir.  
After the movie we'll go to your place.
Seiner Mutter nach ist er ein Genie.  
According to his mother he's a genius.
Sie arbeitet seit zwei Jahren in Berlin.  
She's been working in Berlin for two years.
Viele Studenten bekommen Geld vom Staat.  
A lot of students get money from the state.
Sie ist die Frau von meinem Onkel.  
She's my uncle's wife.
Hast du was zum Schreiben?  
Do you have something to write with?
  • Under certain
Rotkäppchen geht zur Großmutter  
Little Red Ridinghood is going to her grandmother's.
  • circumstances the dative is used with the following "two-way" prepositions: an, auf, hinter, in, neben, entlang, über, unter, vor, and zwischen. When these prepositions delineate a spacial area, and the verb's action or lack of action remains entirely within the area, they take the dative. If the verb indicates movement that crosses the border into that area, the preposition takes the accusative case):
Die Gäste sitzen am Tisch.
The guests are sitting at the table.
Der Hund liegt auf dem Teppich.
The dog's lying on the rug.
Sie arbeitet hinter dem Haus.
She's working behind the house.
Man kann nicht zwischen zwei Stühlen sitzen.
You can't sit between two chairs.
  •  
  • "an dem" and "in dem" are usually contracted:
Er steht am Fenster.
He stands at the window.
Es gibt einen Fremden im Haus.
There's a stranger in the house.
  •  
  • When these two-way prepositions define time, rather than space, they usually take the dative. The exceptions are auf and über:












































Am Montag machen wir die Wäsche.  
We do the laundry on Monday.
In der Nacht sind alle Katzen grau.
At night all cats are grey [Any port in a storm]. 
Er soll unter einer Stunde reden.  
He's supposed to talk under an hour.
Vor jedem Essen trinken wir ein Glas Portwein.
We drink a glass of port before each meal. 
Vor einem Jahr hat sie kein Deutsch gekonnt.
A year ago she couldn't speak any German. 



























  • These two-way prepositions take the dative case in certain idioms, as well. A few examples:

Sie arbeitet jetzt an einem Buch.
She's working on a book.
Das Kind hängt an mir.
The child is attached to me.
Das Wasser ist am Kochen.
The water's boiling.
Ich zweifele an seinem guten Willen.
I have doubts about his good will.
Sie hat lange an Krebs gelitten und ist dann an dieser Krankheit gestorben.
She suffered from cancer for a long time and then died of this disease.
In Deutschland gibt es einen Mangel an Kindern.
In Germany there's a shortage of children.
Du bist schuld an meiner Erkältung.
It's your fault I have a cold.
Nimmst du am Programm teil?
Are you taking part in the program?
Kuwait ist reich an Öl.
Kuwait has abundant oil.
Wir messen ihn an seinen Taten.
We measure him by his deeds.



Sie besteht auf ihrem Recht.
She insists on her rights.
Unter diesen Bedingungen bin ich bereit, es zu tun.
Under these conditions I'm ready to do it.
Sie führen ein Gespräch unter vier Augen.
They're having a tête-à-tête.
Weil wir jetzt unter uns sind, können wir darüber reden.
Now that we're among ourselves we can talk about it.
Endlich habe ich diese Prüfung hinter mir.
I've finally got this test out of the way.
Ich warne Sie vor dem Hund.
I warn you about the dog.
Er war außer sich vor Wut.
He was beside himself with fury.
Hast du wirklich Angst vor mir?
Are you really afraid of me?
Kondome schützen vor AIDS.
Condoms protect (you) from AIDS.
Diese Information soll zwischen meiner Mutter und mir bleiben.
That information should stay between me and my mother.
1 The so-called "der-words" are the articles der, die, das; dies-, jed-, jen-, manch-, solch-, welch-.



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