Dative personal pronouns
Just like articles, personal pronouns change form in the Dative case. Use the Dative form when a pronoun represents the indirect object or follows a Dative verb.
| Nominative (Subject) | Dative (Indirect Object) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mir | (to) me |
| du | dir | (to) you |
| er / es | ihm | (to) him / it |
| sie | ihr | (to) her |
| wir | uns | (to) us |
| ihr | euch | (to) you (plural) |
| sie | ihnen | (to) them |
| Sie | Ihnen | (to) you (formal) |
Expressions of pain and sorrow
With verbs like leidtun (to be sorry) and wehtun (to hurt), the person experiencing the feeling is the Dative object (literally: doing sorrow or pain to someone).
| I am very sorry. | Es tut mir sehr leid. |
| My head hurts today. | Mir tut heute der Kopf weh. |
| Does your stomach often hurt? | Tut dir oft der Bauch weh? |
Verbs that require the Dative
Certain verbs always require a Dative object, such as gratulieren (to congratulate), vertrauen (to trust), and gefallen (to like). The phrase Spaß machen (to be fun) also uses the Dative to specify who is having fun.
| I congratulate you! | Ich gratuliere dir! |
| German is fun for him. | Deutsch macht ihm Spaß. |
| I like the coat. | Der Mantel gefällt mir. |
Plural and formal pronouns
Notice that the formal Dative pronoun Ihnen is always capitalized.
| You must help us! (formal) | Sie müssen uns helfen! |
| Does the soup taste good to you? (plural) | Schmeckt euch die Suppe? |
| I do not trust them. | Ich vertraue ihnen nicht. |
| Does your stomach hurt? (formal) | Tut Ihnen der Bauch weh? |
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