Questions & Answers about Ich vertraue keinem Tier.
Why is it keinem ending in "-m"?
The verb vertrauen (to trust) is a special verb that always requires its object to be in the dative case. Because the word for animal is neuter (das Tier), the negative article changes to the dative neuter form, which is keinem.
Is there a rule to know which verbs need the dative case like vertrauen?
There isn't a simple rule to guess them. While most German verbs use the accusative case for their direct object, a specific group of verbs always uses the dative case. Common ones you should memorize include vertrauen (to trust), helfen (to help), danken (to thank), and antworten (to answer).
The translation says "I do not trust an animal." Can I translate this as "I trust no animal"?
Yes, absolutely! German uses forms of kein to negate nouns that would normally use "a" or "an". "I trust no animal" is a very literal translation. In English, we often prefer to say "I do not trust an animal" to sound more natural, but the German sentence covers both meanings perfectly.
Does the word Tier change at all in the dative case?