On Break
Da‑Da‑Da‑DATIVE!
In German, when you give something to someone, whoever you’re giving that thing to? They get the dative case.
Der Hund gibt einem Mann einen Apfel.
The dog gives an apple to a man.
Same thing if you’re showing something to someone. The thing you’re showing gets the accusative. And the person getting shown? Dative!
Wir zeigen einem Kind die Katze.
We show the cat to a child.
In English, you’d often use an extra to, but in German, you don’t need that! Just change the endings.
der Mann
the man | dem Mann
the man |
die Frau
the woman | der Frau
the woman |
das Kind
the child | dem Kind
the child |
die Katzen
the cats | den Katzen
the cats |
One more thing...
With plural nouns, you also need to add an ‑n to the end. Take a look!
Sie zeigt den Männern die Stadt.
She shows the men the city.