Dativform

Dativform refers to the form a word takes when it is in the dative case in German grammar. The dative marks the indirect object and answers questions such as to whom or for whom something is done. It is used with verbs that take indirect objects and with a set of prepositions that govern the dative.

German has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. The dative is used for indirect objects and after many prepositions, such as mit, bei, nach, von, zu, gegenüber. Two-way prepositions (in, an, auf, etc.) may govern either the dative or the accusative depending on movement or location.

Dativform of pronouns are mir, dir, ihm, ihr, ihm, uns, euch, ihnen, Ihnen. For nouns and determiners, the dative forms include dem (masculine and neuter), der (feminine), and den (plural) as definite articles; the indefinite article in the dative is einem, einer, einem. In the dative plural, nouns often take an -n ending when they do not already end in -n or -en, as in den Kindern.

Examples illustrate the dative in use: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. Die Frau gehört der Blume. Ich schreibe meinem Freund einen Brief. Den Kindern schenke ich Spielzeug. Adjective endings in the dative follow the article type: dem guten Mann, der guten Frau, dem kleinen Kind, den guten Kindern.

Dativform thus reflects the grammatical role of a word in a sentence and interacts with gender, number, and definiteness to signal the indirect object and the appropriate relationship to other elements within the sentence.