Verbs With a Dative Object

Level 3

With verbs like hjálpa, gleyma and loka, the object is in the dative: Hann svaraði mér ekki (He didn't answer me).

How It Works

Common verbs with a dative object.

  • hjálpa (help): Geturðu hjálpað mér?
  • þakka (thank): Ég þakka þér fyrir.
  • svara (answer): Hún svaraði spurningunni.
  • gleyma (forget): Ég gleymdi lyklunum.
  • mæta (meet, pass): Ég mætti honum á götunni.
  • loka (close): Lokaðu dyrunum.
  • týna (lose): Ég týndi símanum mínum.
  • breyta (change): Við þurfum að breyta áætluninni.

Other everyday verbs in this group are treysta (trust), trúa (believe someone), heilsa (greet), kasta and henda (throw), fylgja (follow, go with) and stela (steal).

What changes. Pronouns take their dative forms (mér, þér, honum, henni, okkur, ykkur, þeim), and nouns take dative endings, often -num or -inu with the article: glugganum, dyrunum, bréfinu. Adjectives and possessives agree with the noun: símanum mínum.

The dative stays. The case does not change with tense, in commands or after modal verbs: Hjálpaðu henni! Ég ætla að svara honum á morgun. It even stays in the passive: Dyrunum var lokað (see the passive keeps the dative).

Watch the details. With þakka, the person is dative and the thing you thank for takes fyrir + accusative: Takk fyrir matinn. mæta with a dative object means to meet or pass someone, but without an object it means to show up: Hún mætti ekki í vinnuna. For verbs that take both a person and a thing, see verbs with two objects.

Examples (6)

  1. Ég gleymdi lyklunum heima.

    I forgot the keys at home.

    Word by Word: I forgot the-keys at-home.

    lyklunum is the dative plural with the article. The accusative would be lyklana.

  2. Viltu loka glugganum?

    Could you close the window?

    Word by Word: Want-you close the-window?

  3. Hann svaraði mér ekki.

    He didn't answer me.

    Word by Word: He answered me not.

  4. Ég týndi símanum mínum í gær.

    I lost my phone yesterday.

    Word by Word: I lost the-phone my yesterday.

  5. Geturðu hjálpað mér?

    Can you help me?

    Word by Word: Can-you helped me?

  6. Ég treysti honum alveg.

    I trust him completely.

    Word by Word: I trust him completely.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the object of hjálpa in the accusative.

    Ég hjálpaði hana.
    Ég hjálpaði henni.

    hjálpa takes a dative object. hana is accusative; the dative is henni.

  • Using the accusative form of a noun after gleyma.

    Ég gleymdi lyklana.
    Ég gleymdi lyklunum.

    gleyma takes the dative, so the keys must be lyklunum, not the accusative lyklana.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Verbs With a Dative ObjectLevel 3

Learn This First

Dative verbs build on the dative.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

hjálpaþakkasvaragleymamætalokatýnabreyta