Deutsch — Ditransitive verbs
Some German verbs take two objects: a dative object (the recipient — wem?) and an accusative object (the thing — was?). For example: Ich gebe dem Kind das Buch.
How it works
The dative object answers wem? (to whom) and the accusative object answers was? (what). The default order is dative before accusative: Er schenkt seiner Frau eine Blume. When both are pronouns, the order reverses to accusative before dative: Er schenkt sie ihr.
Examples
| Example sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich gebe dem Kind einen Apfel. | I give the child an apple. |
| Er schenkt seiner Frau Blumen. | He gives his wife flowers (as a gift). |
| Sie zeigt dem Touristen den Weg. | She shows the tourist the way. |
| Der Kellner bringt dem Gast das Essen. | The waiter brings the guest the food. |
| Der Lehrer erklärt den Schülern die Regel. | The teacher explains the rule to the pupils. |
| Ich gebe es ihm. | I give it to him. (both pronouns: accusative before dative) |
Good to know
Watch the case markers, not just the word order: in Ich gebe dem Kind das Buch, dem shows the dative recipient and das the accusative thing. A common mistake is putting the accusative first with a noun and dative pronoun — the natural order is dative pronoun before accusative noun: Ich gebe ihm das Buch, not Ich gebe das Buch ihm.