Rektionen

Rektionen is a term used in linguistics, particularly in German grammar, to describe the grammatical government of a verb, adjective, or preposition. It refers to the specific case or cases that a particular word requires to follow it. For example, the German verb "helfen" (to help) requires the dative case, so one would say "Ich helfe *dir*" (I help you), with "dir" being in the dative. Similarly, prepositions can also govern specific cases. The preposition "mit" (with) always takes the dative, as in "Ich gehe *mit meiner Freundin*" (I go with my friend).

Understanding rektion is crucial for correct sentence construction in languages that utilize grammatical cases. Different verbs and prepositions have distinct rektion patterns that must be learned. Adjectives can also have rektion, though it is often tied to the case of the noun they modify or a preceding preposition. For instance, an adjective following a preposition might take the case dictated by that preposition.

The concept of rektion is not unique to German; similar grammatical phenomena exist in other languages, though the terminology might differ. In essence, rektion dictates the grammatical relationships between words in a sentence, ensuring that the correct case endings are applied to nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. Mastery of rektion allows for fluent and accurate expression in languages with case systems.