Dative case

The dative belongs in the grammar to the case ( German cases). He referred in Indo-European, synthetic languages ​​the indirect object. It may also have other functions. The dative case is also called 3 or Wemfall in German grammar. Its name comes from the fact that it represents the receiver of the given. The word dating is borrowed from Latin ( casus ) dativus give to Latin and Latin dare = date = given.

• 4.1 possessive constructions
• 4.2 Prepositional genitive substitution
• 4.3 Akkusativkonstruktionen

• 5.1 dative -e
• 5.2 dative -en or -n 5.2.1 singular
• 5.2.2 plural

Dative as indirect object

The dative is used by some verbs ( to help someone ), adjectives ( someone be faithful ), and prepositions requires (from the house).

The most important and most frequently used verbs in German that require the dative, can be divided into two groups:

A third group are verbs that denote a relationship: include, taste similar.

Dative prepositions in

Some prepositions force the use of the dative case. The preposition with the dative always pulls in German by itself (example: " the dog ", " the nose ").

Other prepositions that always pull the dative after themselves, are: off, accordingly, contrary, opposite, under, by, near, along with, together with, since, from, to, at, and several others.

Some prepositions of place both dative and accusative can stand. The dative indicates the current location, while the accusative indicates the direction towards a goal. So it is with in (example: " we sleep in the bed ", " we go to the bed "). The prepositions in which either dative or accusative case may be, are: at, in, on, before, behind, above, below, beside, between.

The preposition from the dative calls for local information: " The train departs from the main train station ."

Some prepositions dative is used as a substitute for the genitive form of colloquial. The use of the dative is then obligatory for genitive prepositions, when the noun (noun) is not accompanied by an article or an adjective with case ending.

Example:

• With genitive: " for many days "
• Only with dative: " for days "

Types

We distinguish different meanings. The following is a partial list of dative uses.

Dativus Commodi or incommodi

The dative denotes, for whose advantage ( Commodum ) or disadvantage ( incommodum ) something happens (also dative of interest, dative of interest).

Example: " He carries her suitcase. "

Dativus Ethicus

The dative denotes the inner part (usually 1st or 2nd person), eg parents or grandparents. In addition to the dativus Ethicus, a " real" dating are:

Example: "Make me the teacher any trouble! "

The dativus Ethicus acts now often old-fashioned and comes in the standard language disuse.

In Kölschen he is in the second person singular or plural, Example: " Dat wor Üch enes Käuverzäll " (This was a senseless chatter you ).

Dativus possessivus

See also: Alienabilität

The dative denotes a person or thing to which a part is obtained (also dativus possessoris, Pertinenzdativ ).

Example: " His legs ache. "

In Latin: " Mihi est equus ". Literal translation: "I'm a horse ". What is meant is: " I have a horse " or " I own a horse."

Dativus iudicantis

The dative denotes the position from which a statement is valid.

Example: " The sponge was too wet. ", " The moderator is too nervous. "

Always occurs in the context of degree particles such as " to ", " too ", " enough ", etc. on.

Dativus finalis

The dative expresses a purpose. He is rare in today's German and has spread.

Example: " He just lives his work. "

In Latin, it exists in particular as a double dative (eg " tibi laetitiae " = " you to be happy " = " to make thee a joy ". )

Written language compared with spoken language

Possessive constructions

Possessive Dative constructions according to the pattern noun phrase dative Possessivpronomen3. Pers. Singular / plural SubstantivNominativ (eg, " The Hans his hat " ) have long been in most German dialects and slang common. Busy they are since the Old High German period: "You uuart demo balderes uolon sin uuoz birenkit " - " the colt of his foot " ( Merseburg Incantations ). The noun phrase can also be a demonstrative pronoun ( " which his hat ") or an interrogative ( " whom his hat " ) are represented. Furthermore each other embedded constructions are recursively ( " The woman and her husband his hat ").

In the written language and the elevated language, these forms are not common and are considered ungrammatical or at least stylistically questionable. Expression of this attitude in the apprehended by Bastian Sick ironic Sponti saying " The dative is the genitive case of his death ."

Prepositional genitive substitution

But even where a preposition in the written language demands the genitive, the dative in the vernacular often (eg " due to bad weather " instead of " because of bad weather ").

Conversely, the protection provided under the existing use of language and sense of dative is replaced by the genitive in many cases. Examples: according, answer, thanks, loud.

Akkusativkonstruktionen

Regional sometimes with the accusative instead of the dative used mainly in combination with the preposition, that is, " with their feet " or " with your friends ."

Special features of the dative form

Dative -e

Nouns in the genitive singular on - s end (s ), ie with strongly bent masculine and neuter nouns, knew the specific dative ending- e in Middle High German. This was mined in Early New time partly aloud legal reasons ( apocope of -e ) and partly morphological reasons (moving from case - to number inflection ) -e, but still exists in the East Middle German dialects to this day. In education this dative -e was until a few generations, however, still so strict demands that it was still often used in written language until about 1940. These forms are today but also in the written language - as well as in single words - only rarely encountered; they are used mainly in the elevated language and often seem out of date. The most common exceptions are fixed phrases such as "in this sense ," " in-house " (as Postal Address ), " warning of the dog " or " years" as However arise between the two forms (also in combination with prepositions) often differences in meaning; Examples:

• " The train " ( locally, in public transport), but " in the course " ( result of action ); as well as:
• "In point" (local) ( uncommon), but " the point " ( = in the matter).
• " Day " (temporal, on any given day ), but " in the day " ( = [ general ] during the day); as well as:
• " On foot" (local, body part) - "at the bottom " ( of a mountain )

Also, the dative -e can be set for stylistic and rhythmic reasons continue. Other examples of the use of the suffix -e can also be found in legal texts, such as in § 911 BGB: " fruits that over fall from a tree or a shrub to a neighboring property, are considered fruits of this land " - but this is due to the fact that this text was formulated at the end of the 19th century ( resigned on 1 January 1900 in force).

A survey of Behaghel for use of the dative -e or the endingless form in 19 texts by Martin Luther to the end of the 19th century showed no clear trend, but an unstructured acting point cloud. However, there are missing data associated with this finding of the 20th century.

Dative -en or -n

Singular

Weak masculine nouns inflected know standard language in the singular dative a - s, such as " the prince of the messenger, a soldier " (cf. nominative " the prince, the messenger, the soldier "); also the neutral "heart" has in the dative " heart." In the Middle and Early New High German the dative singular feminine nouns was also at that end in -e, characterized by appending an - s: " in a huts ". This form is now extinct. They can still be found in phrases like " the earth ", "on pages ", then in older texts in women's names, such as in a native of the kuk - time song "Hail Franz Josef, healing Elise ".

In some German dialects, and in Yiddish is - (e ) n in the flexion of personal names, in addition, with certain relatives and people names still common in Yiddish. In Bairischen the dative and accusative ( e) n is passed in all inflected forms, it is said also in the nominative singular " the meadows, Wiesn".

Plural

In the plural, the dative ending- en or -n is standard language mandatory, such as " the day → day → to the days " or "the field → the → Fields in the fields ." In some German dialects, and in the dialect closer colloquial language, however, the ending often falls away. For weak and some strong nouns the entire plural ending in - (e ) n, which is why a separate dative suffix does not apply: " the messenger of the messenger → → of the messenger ", "The Garden → → gardens in the gardens ". Words that the plural -s or a- form, they know also in the dative case: " the car → → the cars with the cars ", " the visa → the → Visa with Visa ".

In other languages

The Ancient Greek and Latin know the dativus auctoris ( person acting in passive constructions as well as the verbal adjective in - teos in Greek and gerundive constructions in Latin ). The Ancient Greek knows beyond even the dativus instrumenti (tool or means ), the dativus modes (the way ), the dativus mensurae ( he gives the difference in compare to ) and some others. This expresses the Latin mostly from the ablative.