Top 22 Dative Verbs in German

The dative case typically indicates the indirect object of a sentence—often the recipient of an action. In other words, when someone is giving, telling, or showing something to someone, that “someone” is often in the dative case.

The Importance of Dative Verbs

Dative verbs are verbs that always require a dative object, even when there isn’t a clear recipient of an action. Memorizing these verbs will help you use them correctly and improve your German fluency, as many are commonly used in everyday conversations.

22 Most Important Dative Verbs in German

In this article, we’ll introduce you to 22 important dative verbs and provide three examples for each. In each example, the dative object is marked in bold.

1. Helfen (to help)

1. Ich helfe meinem Freund beim Streichen. → I am helping my boyfriend paint.
2. Hilfst du mir? → Are you helping me?
3. Sie hilft ihrem Bruder im Garten. → She helps her brother in the garden.

2. Danken (to thank)

1. Ich danke dir für das Geschenk. → I thank you for the gift.
2. Wir danken unseren Eltern. → We thank our parents.
3. Hast du ihr schon gedankt? → Have you thanked her already?

3. Antworten (to answer)

1. Er antwortet seinem Chef auf die Frage. → He answers his boss’s question.
2. Warum antwortest du mir nicht? → Why aren’t you answering me?
3. Sie hat ihrer Freundin sofort geantwortet. → She answered her girlfriend immediately.

Make sure to watch the following video to find out how to pronounce dative verbs, and how to use them in statements and questions.

4. Gratulieren (to congratulate)

1. Ich gratuliere dir zum Geburtstag. → I congratulate you on your birthday.
2. Hast du ihm zur Beförderung gratuliert? → Did you congratulate him on his promotion?
3. Wir gratulieren unserer Tochter zum Abschluss. → We congratulate our daughter on her graduation.

5. Vertrauen (to trust)

1. Ich vertraue meinem besten Freund. → I trust my best friend.
2. Kannst du mir vertrauen? → Can you trust me?
3. Er vertraut seiner Lehrerin. → He trusts his [female] teacher.

6. Folgen (to follow)

1. Der Hund folgt seinem Besitzer. → The dog follows its owner.
2. Kannst du uns bitte folgen? → Can you please follow us?
3. Sie folgen der Anleitung. → They follow the instructions.

7. Zuhören (to listen to)

1. Die Kinder hören dem Lehrer zu. → The children listen to the teacher.
2. Hörst du mir zu? → Are you listening to me?
3. Sie hört ihrer Mutter immer zu. → She always listens to her mother.

8. Schmecken (to taste)

1. Die Suppe schmeckt mir gut. → I like the taste of the soup.
2. Schmeckt dir der Kuchen? → Do you like the cake?
3. Dieser Wein schmeckt ihr nicht. → She doesn’t like the taste of this wine.

9. Glauben (to believe)

1. Ich glaube dir nicht. → I don’t believe you.
2. Glaubst du ihm? → Do you believe him?
3. Sie glaubt ihrer Freundin. → She believes her girlfriend.

To dive deeper into dative verbs for advanced beginners, don’t miss the following video:

10. Passen (to fit)

1. Der Pullover passt mir nicht. → The sweater doesn’t fit me.
2. Passt dir dieses Hemd? → Does this shirt fit you?
3. Die Schuhe passen ihm gut. → The shoes fit him well.

11. Stehen (to suit)

1. Die Farbe steht dir gut. → The color suits you.
2. Steht mir dieser Hut? → Does this hat suit me?
3. Der Anzug steht ihm ausgezeichnet. → The suit suits him perfectly.

12. Fehlen (to miss/lack)

1. Du fehlst mir. → I miss you.
2. Fehlt dir etwas? → Are you missing something?
3. Meine Eltern fehlen mir. → I miss my parents.

13. Raten (to advise/guess)

1. Ich rate dir, früher ins Bett zu gehen. → I advise you to go to bed earlier.
2. Hast du ihm geraten, den Job anzunehmen? → Did you advise him to take the job?
3. Sie rät ihrer Freundin, einen Anwalt zu nehmen. → She is advising her friend to hire a lawyer.

If you are ready for B1 dative verbs, you will find what you are looking for in this video:

14. Verzeihen (to forgive)

1. Ich verzeihe dir. → I forgive you.
2. Kannst du ihm verzeihen? → Can you forgive him?
3. Sie hat ihrer Freundin verziehen. → She forgave her friend.

15. Begegnen (to run into someone)

1. Ich bin einem alten Freund begegnet. → I ran into an old friend.
2. Sind sie ihm auf der Straße begegnet? → Did they run into him on the street?
3. Wir sind gestern deinem Bruder begegnet. → We ran into your brother yesterday.

16. Wehtun (to hurt)

1. Mein Kopf tut mir weh. → My head hurts.
2. Tut dir der Arm weh? → Does your arm hurt?
3. Sie sagt, ihr Rücken tut ihr weh. → She says her back hurts.

17. Nützen (to be of use)

1. Das nützt mir nichts. → That doesn’t help me.
2. Hat dir das Buch genützt? → Did the book help you?
3. Diese Information nützt uns sehr. → This information is very useful to us.

18. Schaden (to harm)

1. Rauchen schadet deiner Gesundheit. → Smoking harms your health.
2. Hat es ihm geschadet? → Did it harm him?
3. Der Lärm schadet den Kindern. → The noise harms the children.

19. Zuschauen/Zugucken/Zusehen (to watch)

1. Die Kinder schauen/gucken/sehen dem Clown zu. → The children are watching the clown.
2. Schaust/Guckst/Siehst du mir zu? → Are you watching me?
3. Sie schauen/gucken/sehen den Eiskunstläufern zu. → They are watching the ice skaters.

The verb “schauen” is used more in southern Germany, while “gucken” is more popular in the west and north. Additionally, “zusehen” is more prevalent in standard and formal German.

20. Drohen (to threaten)

1. Er droht seinem Bruder. → He is threatening his brother.
2. Die Polizei droht den Demonstranten mit Festnahmen. → The police is threatening the demonstrators with arrests.
3. Sie droht ihrem Gegner mit Konsequenzen. → She is threatening her opponent with consequences.

Here’s our final video on dative verbs for those of you ready for advanced B2 verbs and beyond:

21. Gefallen (to like)

1. Die Blumen gefallen meiner Mutter. → My mother likes the flowers.
2. Gefällt dir das neue Auto? → Do you like the new car?
3. Der Film hat uns gut gefallen. → We liked the movie.

22. Gehören (to belong to)

1. Das Buch gehört mir. → The book belongs to me.
2. Wem gehört dieser Schlüssel? → Whom does this key belong to?
3. Der Hund gehört unseren Nachbarn. → The dog belongs to our neighbors.

For a better overview, here is a table that combines all 22 verbs:

German Verb	English Translation
1. helfen	to help
2. danken	to thank
3. antworten	to answer
4. gratulieren	to congratulate
5. vertrauen	to trust
6. folgen	to follow
7. zuhören	to listen to
8. schmecken	to taste
9. glauben	to believe
10. passen	to fit
11. stehen	to suit
12. fehlen	to miss/lack
13. raten	to advise/guess
14. verzeihen	to forgive
15. begegnen	to run into someone
16. wehtun	to hurt
17. nützen	to be of use
18. schaden	to harm
19. zuschauen	to watch
20. drohen	to threaten
21. gefallen	to like
22. gehören	to belong to

Practical Tips for Learning Dative Verbs

Now that you’ve learned 22 essential dative verbs, you can practice identifying them in sentences. Memorizing these verbs will help you spot the indirect object easily and correctly apply the dative case. Start by creating your own sentences, asking questions, and making negations. If possible, have a teacher or native speaker correct your sentences.