The dative & genitive cases: German has four cases that change the article (and sometimes the noun) depending on the noun's job. You already know the Nominativ (subject) and Akkusativ (direct object). This micro covers the other two:
Dativ — the indirect object, usually the person to/for whom something is done: „Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch.“ (I give the book to the man.)
Genitiv — possession, the of/'s relationship: „das Buch des Mannes“ (the book of the man / the man's book).
- der Dativ (Wem-Fall)
- the dative — the indirect object; ask „wem?“ (to whom?)
- der Genitiv (Wessen-Fall)
- the genitive — possession; ask „wessen?“ (whose?)
- das indirekte Objekt
- indirect object — the receiver, in the dative
- die Präposition
- preposition — many force a fixed case (dative or genitive)
- der Kasus / der Fall
- the case — nominative, accusative, dative or genitive
- die Endung
- ending — articles (and some nouns) change their ending by case
Why this matters: Getting dem/der/des right is exactly what earns Criterion A (Language). Verbs like helfen, danken, geben need the dative; phrases like „wegen des Wetters“ need the genitive. Learn the article table once and you can place every noun correctly.
The article endings: The definite article (the) and indefinite article (a/an) change their ending by gender and case. Below are the dative and genitive forms. Note two reliable signals: the dative plural adds „-n“ to the noun („den Kindern“), and masculine/neuter genitive nouns add „-s“ or „-es“ („des Mannes“, „des Kindes“).
| Kasus | maskulin | feminin | neutrum | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dativ (the) | dem | der | dem | den …-n |
| Dativ (a/an) | einem | einer | einem | — |
| Genitiv (the) | des …-s | der | des …-s | der |
| Genitiv (a/an) | eines …-s | einer | eines …-s | — |
What changes on the noun
- Dative plural — add „-n“ to the noun: die Kinder → den Kindern, die Freunde → den Freunden.
- Masculine/neuter genitive — add „-s“ or „-es“: der Mann → des Mannes, das Auto → des Autos.
- Feminine & plural genitive — only the article changes: die Frau → der Frau, die Kinder → der Kinder.
- Personal pronouns also have dative forms — mir, dir, ihm, ihr, uns, euch, ihnen.
„wem?“ for dative, „wessen?“ for genitive: To find the case, ask a question. „Wem gebe ich das Buch?“ → dem Mann (dative). „Wessen Auto ist das?“ → des Vaters (genitive). The question word points straight to the case you need.
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What triggers each case: Three things put a noun into the dative: an indirect object, a dative verb, or a dative preposition. The genitive appears with possession and a small set of genitive prepositions. Here is each trigger with a German example.
Dativ-Auslöser (dative triggers)
- Indirect object — „Ich schreibe meiner Oma einen Brief.“ (I write my grandma a letter — to whom?)
- Dative verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen, gehören) — „Das Buch gehört dem Lehrer.“ (The book belongs to the teacher.)
- Dative prepositions (mit, nach, aus, bei, von, zu, seit) — „Ich fahre mit dem Zug nach Wien.“ (I travel by train to Vienna.)
Genitiv-Auslöser (genitive triggers)
- Possession — „das Fahrrad meiner Schwester“ (my sister's bike).
- Genitive prepositions (wegen, trotz, während, statt) — „Während der Pause essen wir.“ (During the break we eat.)
- „wessen?“ questions — „Wessen Tasche ist das?“ (Whose bag is that?)
Two-way prepositions: Nine prepositions (an, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor, zwischen) take the dative for location (no movement, „wo?“) but the accusative for direction (movement, „wohin?“): „Ich bin in der Schule“ (dative, location) vs „Ich gehe in die Schule“ (accusative, direction).
Dative & genitive, sentence by sentence: Here is a short text built one sentence at a time. Watch the dative mark the receiver and the prepositions, and the genitive mark possession and „trotz/wegen“. Read it for meaning, then tap Übersetzung anzeigen for the English or 🔊 to hear it.
Dativ & Genitiv in Aktion
Ein Text, Satz für Satz
- Ich gebe meinem Bruder ein Geschenk.
- Das Auto meines Vaters steht vor dem Haus.
- Nach der Schule helfe ich meiner Mutter in der Küche.
- Trotz des Regens fahren wir mit dem Bus zur Universität.
- Wegen der Prüfung danke ich meinen Freunden für ihre Hilfe.
Steal this pattern: Notice the chain: a trigger (a dative verb like „helfen/danken“, or a preposition like „mit/nach“ or „trotz/wegen“) decides the case, then the article ending follows (dem/der/des). Spot the trigger first, then choose the ending — that order keeps your German accurate.
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The slips to watch for: Three slips dominate: using the accusative after a dative verb/preposition, forgetting the „-n“ on the dative plural, and forgetting the „-s/-es“ on the masculine/neuter genitive noun. Compare the right version with the typical mistake and the fix becomes obvious.
Richtig
- Ich danke dem Lehrer.
- Ich spiele mit den Kindern.
- das Haus des Mannes
Häufiger Fehler
- Ich danke den Lehrer.
- Ich spiele mit die Kinder.
- das Haus des Mann
Trigger → article → noun ending: Run three quick checks: which trigger sets the case (a dative verb/preposition, or a genitive preposition/possession)? Is the article right (dem/der/des/den)? And does the noun need an ending (dative plural „-n“, masculine/neuter genitive „-s/-es“)? Get all three and the case is correct.