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Questions & Answers about Ich helfe meinem Freund.
Why is the phrase "meinem Freund" in the dative case instead of the accusative?
The verb "helfen" always takes a dative object in German. In this sentence, "meinem Freund" is the recipient of the help, so it appears in the dative case rather than the accusative case.
What does the form "helfe" indicate about the subject of the sentence?
The form "helfe" is the first-person singular present tense of "helfen". It confirms that the subject "Ich" means "I", showing who is performing the action.
Why does the possessive pronoun change from "mein" to "meinem"?
In German, possessive adjectives decline to match the gender, case, and number of the noun they modify. Since "Freund" is a masculine noun in the dative case (because of the verb "helfen"), "mein" becomes "meinem" to agree with the noun’s dative masculine form.
How does the dative case affect the structure or articles used in this sentence?
The dative case signals the indirect object of the sentence. In "Ich helfe meinem Freund", the dative article "meinem" shows that "Freund" is the beneficiary of the action. This is different from an accusative object, which would use a different article form, reflecting the case system’s role in indicating grammatical function.
Are there other verbs in German that also require a dative object?
Yes, several common German verbs take a dative object. Besides "helfen", you might encounter verbs like "danken" (to thank), "folgen" (to follow), and "gehören" (to belong to), all of which require their objects to be in the dative case.