A2 Elementary
The Dativ is used for the indirect object (the person who gets something) and always after mit, bei, von, zu, aus, nach, and seit. The articles change: der/das → dem, die → der, plural die → den (and the noun gets -n). The article ein becomes einem or einer.
der / das → dem · die → der · plural → den + noun-n · ein → einem / einer
Using the accusative after mit.
Ich fahre mit den Bus.
Ich fahre mit dem Bus.
Ich fahre mit ______ Fahrrad zur Arbeit.
das · dem · den
dem — mit always takes the dative: das → dem.
Kannst du ______ Mutter helfen?
deiner · deine · deinen
deiner — helfen takes the dative; feminine deine → deiner.
Nach der Arbeit gehe ich zu ______ Freunden.
meinen · meine · meiner
meinen — zu takes the dative; in the plural it is meinen Freunden (noun with -n).
Sofia visits a German Christmas market for the first time. It is freezing cold – and she has forgotten her gloves.
Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · Dativ (dative case) · 6 new words
Ahmed goes to the Oktoberfest for the first time – in borrowed Lederhosen that are much too small for him.
Perfekt (present perfect) · Dativ (dative case) · 6 new words
Daniel plays tennis with his girlfriend's father for the first time. The man is almost seventy, so Daniel has a kind plan: he will let him win.
Dativ (dative case) · Perfekt (present perfect) · 7 new words
The new boss is only twenty-eight and changes things from day one. The whole office is nervous – until his first Friday.
Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · Dativ (dative case) · 7 new words
Jonas goes with his girlfriend to her cousin's wedding in Serbia. He only knows two words of Serbian, but they get him surprisingly far.
Perfekt (present perfect) · Dativ (dative case) · 7 new words
Every month, Klara gets a postcard from a different city, but nobody ever signs it. Who is writing to her from all over the world?
Perfekt (present perfect) · Dativ (dative case) · 7 new words
Mr Wolf gets a smartwatch for his sixtieth birthday. He doesn't like it at first – it keeps telling him what to do.
Dativ (dative case) · Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · 7 new words
Ivana goes to see her first German film without subtitles. She doesn't understand everything – but she has a clever trick.
Perfekt (present perfect) · Dativ (dative case) · 6 new words
Ana spends a weekend with her friend Klara in Vienna: a famous cathedral, cake in an old coffee house and a waiter who never smiles.
Dativ (dative case) · 6 new words
Dad wants to cook sarma, his favourite dish from childhood, for his German colleagues. Soon the whole kitchen is in chaos.
Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · Dativ (dative case) · 7 new words
Ewa is planning a secret party for her father's eightieth birthday. Everything is going to plan – until a key turns in the door far too early.
Dativ (dative case) · Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · 7 new words
Nina and her brother Felix cycle around Lake Constance through three countries. In Switzerland, a tyre goes flat – and nobody has the tools.
Dativ (dative case) · 6 new words
Max's back hurts, so his doctor sends him to yoga. The exercises are harder than he thought – but one of them suits him perfectly.
Dativ (dative case) · Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · 6 new words