dem / der / den (Dative)
Dative Articles
The dative has its own articles: dem (masculine and neuter), der (feminine) and den or de (plural). En and eng become engem and enger: Ech ginn dem Mann d'Buch.
How It Works
The forms
- masculine: den → dem, en → engem: dem Mann, engem Frënd
- feminine: d' → der, eng → enger: der Fra, enger Famill
- neuter: d' → dem, en → engem: dem Kand, engem Kand
- plural: d' → den, which becomes de by the n-rule: den Elteren, de Kanner
The negative article works the same way: kengem, kenger.
When to use the dative
- for the person who receives something: Ech ginn dem Mann d'Buch. See the order of two objects.
- after verbs with a dative object, such as hëllefen: Ech hëllefen der Fra.
- after dative prepositions such as mat, bei, vun, aus and no: mat engem Frënd.
Names
First names also take dem in the dative, both men's and women's names: dem Paul, dem Anna. See articles with names.
Contractions
After many prepositions, dem merges with the preposition: mat dem → mam, an dem → am. See preposition and article contractions.
Watch out for den
Den is both the masculine article in the nominative and accusative (den Hond) and the plural dative (den Elteren). The noun tells you which one it is.
Examples (6)
- Ech ginn dem Mann d'Buch.
I am giving the man the book.
Word by Word: I give the man the book.
Dem Mann is the person who receives the book.
- Ech hëllefen der Fra.
I am helping the woman.
Word by Word: I help the woman.
Hëllefen takes a dative object, and Fra is feminine, so the article is der.
- Mir hëllefen de Kanner.
We are helping the children.
Word by Word: We help the children.
The plural dative den becomes de before the K of Kanner.
- Ech schreiwen den Elteren e Bréif.
I am writing a letter to the parents.
Word by Word: I write the parents a letter.
The plural dative den keeps its n before the vowel of Elteren.
- Hie spillt mat engem Frënd.
He is playing with a friend.
Word by Word: He plays with a friend.
Mat is always followed by the dative, and en becomes engem.
- Si wunnt bei enger Famill zu Esch.
She lives with a family in Esch.
Word by Word: She lives at a family in Esch.
Famill is feminine, so eng becomes enger.
Common Mistakes
Using the nominative article after a verb that takes the dative.
Ech hëllefen d'Fra.Ech hëllefen der Fra.Hëllefen takes a dative object. The feminine dative article is der.
Using den instead of dem for the person who receives something.
Ech ginn de Mann d'Buch.Ech ginn dem Mann d'Buch.The man receives the book, so he is in the dative. Masculine nouns take dem in the dative.
Keeping e or en after a dative preposition.
Hie spillt mat e Frënd.Hie spillt mat engem Frënd.Mat always takes the dative. For a masculine or neuter noun, a is engem.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Dative Articles, learn The Masculine Article Den and The Short Article D'.
Related Patterns
- Three Cases
The overview of the three cases; this entry covers the dative articles.
Level 1 - en / engIndefinite Article: En and Eng
En and eng become engem and enger in the dative.
Level 1 - Prepositions With the Dative
Mat, bei, vun, aus, no and zu always take the dative, so an article after them is dem, der or den.
Level 2 - am / um / vum / mam / beimPreposition and Article Contractions
Dem often merges with a preposition, as in mam Bus or am Gaart.
Level 2 - Verbs With a Dative Object
Verbs such as hëllefen take their object in the dative.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice dem / der / den (Dative) in Bubblegum
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