……
Usages of geben
den Apfel = direct object and accusative
den Apfel = indirect object and dative
den Apfel = indirect object and accusative
I give the apple. Ich gebe den Apfel.
der Frau = indirect object and dative
der Frau = direct object and accusative
den Apfel = indirect object and dative
I give the apple to the woman. Ich gebe den Apfel der Frau.
Emphasis is on the last word of the sentence.
Ich gebe den Apfel der Frau
not to the kid
Ich gebe der Frau den Apfel
not the bread
gib mir
give me
Gib mir den Schlüssel.
Give me the key.
Er gibt mir den Schlüssel.
He gives me the key.
Er gibt mir nicht den Schlüssel.
He doesn't give me the key.
position of nicht:
between the direct and the indirect object
Sarah gibt dem Mann ein Geschenk.
Sarah gives the man a gift.
Sarah gibt einem Mann ein Geschenk.
Sarah gives a man a gift.
Thomas gibt der Frau Schokolade.
Thomas gives the woman chocolate.
Thomas gibt einer Frau Schokolade.
Thomas gives a woman chocolate.
Sarah gibt dem Kind ein Spielzeug.
Sarah gives the child a toy.
Sarah gibt einem Kind ein Spielzeug.
Sarah gives a child a toy.
Thomas gibt den Frauen Schokolade.
Thomas gives the women chocolate.
Test yourself: What does geben mean?
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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