The Possessive Dative
In English, we use possessive adjectives when talking about body parts or clothing (e.g., "I wash his face," "She wipes my cheek"). German, however, strongly prefers a structure called the possessive dative (Dativus possessivus).
Instead of a possessive adjective, you use a standard definite article (der, die, das) for the body part, and you put the person who "owns" it in the dative case. Think of it as doing the action "to the person" on "the body part."
| The father wipes the child's cheek. | Der Vater wischt dem Kind die Wange ab. |
This structure is extremely common for actions involving hygiene, first aid, or getting dressed, like cleaning up a messy child after they play outside.
| Someone must wash the dirt out of the boy's face. | Jemand muss dem Jungen den Dreck aus dem Gesicht waschen. |
Managing Clothing and Winter Gear
The possessive dative applies just as much to clothing as it does to the body. If you are zipping up someone's jacket or tying their shoes, the person receiving the help goes in the dative case, and their clothing takes the definite article.
| Who opens the girl's zipper? | Wer öffnet dem Mädchen den Reißverschluss? |
Notice how this works even in infinitive clauses. The dative noun (dem Kind) clearly tells us whose shoes are being tied.
| The gloves are too thick to tie the child's shoelaces. | Die Handschuhe sind zu dick, um dem Kind die Schnürsenkel zuzubinden. |
Using Dative Pronouns
You will frequently use dative pronouns (mir, dir, ihm, ihr, uns, euch, ihnen) with this structure. If you are bundling someone up for the cold, use dir (to you) instead of dein (your).
| I button up your coat and rub your cheeks. | Ich knöpfe dir den Mantel zu und reibe dir die Wangen. |
| The sleeve is dirty because I am tying your shoelaces. | Der Ärmel ist schmutzig, weil ich dir die Schnürsenkel zubinde. |
