Questions & Answers about Ich traue ihm nicht.
Why do we use ihm instead of ihn here?
In English, the word him in this sentence acts as a normal direct object. But in German, trauen (to trust) is one of those special verbs that strictly requires the Dative case. Because of this, we cannot use the accusative ihn, but must use the dative ihm instead.
Is there another common word for to trust in German?
Yes, you will very often see the word vertrauen used. Just like trauen, vertrauen strictly takes the Dative case, so the grammar would be exactly the same: Ich vertraue ihm nicht.
Why does nicht go at the very end of the sentence?
When you want to negate the whole idea of the sentence—in this case, the action of trusting—German pushes nicht (not) to the very end of the clause.
Could I put nicht right after Ich, like in the phrase Ich nicht traue ihm?
No, because German has a strict rule for normal statements: the conjugated verb must always take the second position. Since Ich is in position one, the verb traue must come immediately after it.
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