Ich glaube dir.

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Breakdown of Ich glaube dir.

• dir: you; (informal singular, dative)
• glauben: to believe

Questions & Answers about Ich glaube dir.

Why is the object dir in the dative case and not the accusative dich?

In German, the verb glauben when referring to “believing someone” takes a dative object. So you say ich glaube dir (I believe you). Using the accusative dich here would be ungrammatical.

Why is the word order Ich glaube dir and not Ich dir glaube?

German main clauses follow the “verb-second” rule: the finite verb must be in position 2. In Ich glaube dir, “Ich” is position 1, “glaube” is position 2, and “dir” comes afterwards as the object. If you move dir to position 1 for emphasis, you must still keep the verb in second place: Dir glaube ich.

How do you negate Ich glaube dir?

You place nicht after the dative object. The correct negation is Ich glaube dir nicht (I don’t believe you).

How do you form the question “Do you believe me?” in German?

Swap subject and verb for a yes/no question and use the dative pronoun mir (dative of “ich”): Glaubst du mir?

What’s the difference between ich glaube dir and ich glaube an dich?