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Questions & Answers about Ich glaube an dich.
Why is the preposition an necessary in Ich glaube an dich?
Because glauben when meaning “to believe in” is a prepositional verb in German. It always combines with an plus an accusative object. Without an, the sentence would be ungrammatical (and you’d lose the sense of having faith in someone).
What case is dich here and why?
dich is the accusative form of du. German prepositions govern specific cases; in this abstract meaning, an always takes the accusative, so you must use dich, not dir.
How would I say “I believe you” in the sense of “I trust what you’re saying”?
You’d say Ich glaube dir. In that sense, glauben takes a dative object.
- Ich glaube dir = “I believe you (that you’re telling the truth).”
- Ich glaube an dich = “I believe in you / I have faith in you.”
Why can’t I just say Ich glaube dich?
Because the meaning “to believe in” requires the construction glauben an + accusative. Dropping an leaves glauben without its required preposition, so it’s simply wrong in German.
Why isn’t the verb glaube at the end of the sentence, as in some other German sentences?
This is a main clause, and German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb (glaube) occupies the second position. Only subordinate clauses or certain verb combinations push the verb to the end.
Can I move an dich for emphasis? For example, An dich glaube ich?
Yes. You can front the entire prepositional phrase to emphasize dich, but you must still keep glaube in second position:
An dich glaube ich.
This word order highlights “you”.
Is it possible to drop ich, like in Spanish or Italian?
No. German normally requires an explicit subject pronoun in main clauses, so you need ich even though the verb ending already indicates the subject.
How do you pronounce glaube?
glaube is pronounced [ˈɡlaʊbə]. The au sounds like ou in “house,” and the final e is a schwa [ə].