List Of Accusative And Dative Verbs In German Pdf -
Here are the most common German verbs that always take the accusative case. Memorize these as direct-action verbs.
| Verb (German) | Meaning (English) | Example Sentence | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | haben | to have | Ich habe einen Hund. | | sehen | to see | Sie sieht den Film. | | hören | to hear | Wir hören die Musik. | | lieben | to love | Er liebt seine Frau. | | hassen | to hate | Ich hasse Lügen. (lies) | | kaufen | to buy | Er kauft ein Buch. | | brauchen | to need | Ich brauche einen Stift. | | machen | to do/make | Sie macht die Hausaufgaben. | | essen | to eat | Wir essen einen Apfel. | | trinken | to drink | Er trinkt den Kaffee. | | kennen | to know (be familiar with) | Kennst du diesen Ort? (this place) | | wissen | to know (facts) *Note: follows different syntax | Ich weiß die Antwort. (the answer) | | suchen | to look for | Er sucht seinen Schlüssel. (his key) | | finden | to find | Ich finde mein Handy nicht. (my phone) | List Of Accusative And Dative Verbs In German Pdf
Key Rule: If a verb describes an action that transfers directly to an object (you see it, buy it, eat it), it’s accusative. Here are the most common German verbs that
In English, verbs rarely dictate the case of an object. We say “I help you” regardless of who is doing what. In German, however, the verb is the king of the sentence. Every verb has a specific valence—a set of cases it requires. Key Rule: If a verb describes an action
Without a structured list, learners often default to the accusative for everything, leading to errors like “Ich helfe dich” (incorrect) instead of “Ich helfe dir” (correct).
| Verb | Meaning | |------|---------| | helfen | to help | | danken | to thank | | gefallen | to please / be liked by | | gehören | to belong to | | passen | to suit / fit | | schmecken | to taste (good to someone) | | antworten | to answer | | glauben | to believe (someone) | | fehlen | to be missing to sb. | | vertrauen | to trust | | gratulieren | to congratulate | | zustimmen | to agree with |
Example:
Ich helfe dir. (I help you – dir = dative)
Das gefällt mir. (I like that – lit. “that pleases me”)
