In tro d u c tio n to th e Ge rm an Ac c u s ativ e Cas e

Sounds of the Accusative Case

Use the following mnemonic devices to help you learn the final endings of words that mark the accusative.
nee see ( n e s e ) The sound are N E S E This applies to the der words.

Ch art o f So u n d s fo r th e Ac c u s ativ e En d in g s fo r th e d e r w o rd s :

masc fem neut plur

-n -e -s -e

Examples of der words in Accusative Pay particular attention to the final sounds of each word.
masculine feminine neuter plural
(N) (E) (S) (E)

den die das die the / the one / this one

diesen diese dieses diese this / that / these / those

welchen welche welches welche which? / what?

For the ein words, use the following memory device:

nee no ee ( n e e ) The sounds are N E E for the ein words. (The symbol represents a zero ending.)

Ch art o f So u n d s fo r th e Ac c u s ativ e En d in g s fo r th e e in w o rd s :

masc fem neut plur

-n -e - -e

Examples of ein words in Accusative Pay particular attention to the final sounds of each word.
masculine feminine neuter plural
(N) (E) () (E)

einen eine ein n/a a / an (no plural)

keinen keine kein keine no / not a / not any

meinen meine mein meine my

deinen deine dein deine your

seinen seine sein seine his

Personal Pronouns in the Accusative Case (The nominative forms are given in parentheses.)

mich (ich) me uns (wir) us

dich (du) you euch (ihr) you all

ihn (er) him

sie (sie) her Sie (Sie) YOU

es (es) it sie (sie) them

 In tro d u c tio n to th e Ac c u s ativ e Cas e p ag e 2

Comparison of Case Endings The endings on the der words parallel those of the personal pronouns.

der word den die das die

prounoun ihn sie es sie

accusative ending N E S E

Declensional Endings on Nouns in the Accusative Case

Sc h w ac h e s Mas ku lin u m Weak masculine N-nouns take the ending N (or en) in the accusative.
The declensional ending N also applies to all cases outside the nominative.
Compare the nominative to the other case forms with the following nouns.

nominative accusative dative genitive

der Student den Studenten dem Studenten des Studenten the student

der Herr den Herrn dem Herrn des Herrn (the) mister, lord, sir

der Mensch den Menschen dem Menschen des Menschen the person, human

der Nachbar den Nachbarn dem Nachbarn des Nachbarn the neighbor

der Junge den Jungen dem Jungen des Jungen the boy

Examples with accusative case:

Dire c t O b je c t:
Den Mann kennen wir. We know the man.
Wir kennen ihn. We know him.
Ich besuche die Frau. Im visiting the woman.
Sie besuche ich. Im visiting her.
Er sucht das Kind. Hes looking for the child.
Er sucht es. Hes looking for her/him.
Kennst du den Nachbarn? Do you know the neighbor?
Einen Apfel isst der Nachbar. The neighbor is eating an apple.
Sie kauft ein Auto. Shes buying a car.
Sie kauft es. Shes buying it.
Hast du meinen Kugelschreiber? Do you have my pen?
Ja, ihn habe ich. Yes, I have it. (It I have.)

O b je c t o f Ac c u s ativ e Pre p o s itio n s :

Ich whle fr den Kandidaten. Im voting for the candidate.
Fr ihn whle ich. Im voting for him. (For him vote I.)
Wir arbeiten fr euch. Were working for you guys.
Durch den Tunnel fhrt der Zug. The train is traveling through the tunnel. (Through the tunnel goes )
Gehst du ohne mich ins Kino? Are you going to the cinema without me?
Fr meine Frau sind diese Blumen. These flowers are for my wife. (For my wife are these floweres.)
Diese Blumen sind fr sie. These flowers are for her.
Sie essen ohne mich. They are eating without me.
Hast du etwas gegen mich? Do you have something against me?
A Brief Overview of Case and Gender Forms in German

Definite Articles (the)

masculine feminine neuter plural

nominative der die das die

T J P
accusative den die das die
dative dem der dem den
genitive des der des der

Indefinite Articles (a, an)

masculine feminine neuter plural

nominative ein eine ein ( )eine

accusative einen eine ein ( )eine
dative einem einer einem ( )einen
genitive eines einer eines ( )einer
The indefinite article does not exist in the plural.
However, the negative indefinite article and the possessive adjectives have plural forms.
The following words follow the same declensional pattern as the indefinite article (and take plural forms as well).
the negative indefinite article: kein (not a / not any);
the possessive adjectives:
mein (my); dein (your); sein (his); ihr (her); sein (its);
unser (our); euer (your); ihr (their); Ihr (your)

Personal Pronouns

I you he she it we you they you

(me) sg. fam. (him) (her) (us) pl. fam. (them) formal

nominative ich du er sie es wir ihr sie Sie

accusative mich dich ihn sie es uns euch sie Sie
dative mir dir ihm ihr ihm uns euch ihnen Ihnen
There are no genitive forms for the personal pronouns. Formal you is both singular and plural.
Introduction to the German Dative Case

Sounds of the Dative Case

Use the following mnemonic device to help you learn the final endings of words that mark the dative.
mister man ( m r m n ) The sound are M R M N This applies both to the der and ein words.

Chart of the Sounds of the Dative Endings

masc fem neut plur

-m -r -m -n

Examples of der words in Dative Pay particular attention to the final sounds of each word.

masculine feminine neuter plural

(M ) (R) (M ) (N)

dem der dem den the / the one / this one

diesem dieser diesem diesen this / that / these / those

welchem welcher welchem welchen which? / what?

Examples of ein words in Dative Pay particular attention to the final sounds of each word.

masculine feminine neuter plural

(M ) (R) (M ) (N)

einem einer einem a / an (no plural)

keinem keiner keinem keinen no / not a / not any

meinem meiner meinem meinen my

deinem deiner deinem deinen your

seinem seiner seinem seinen his

Personal Pronouns in the Dative Case (The nominative form is given in parentheses.)

mir (ich) to me / for me uns (wir) to us / for us

dir (du) to you / for you euch (ihr) to you all / for you all

ihm (er) to him / for him

ihr (sie) to her / for her Ihnen (Sie) to YOU / for YOU

ihm (es) to it / for it ihnen (sie) to them / for them

Introduction to the Dative Case page 2

Comparison of Case Endings The endings on the der words parallel some of those on personal pronouns.

der word dem der dem den

prounoun ihm ihr ihm ihnen

dative ending M R M N

Declensional Endings on Nouns in the Dative Case

Schwaches Maskulinum W eak nouns take an additional N ending in the dative.

The declensional ending N is the same declensional ending as in the accusative with these nouns.
Compare the nominative to the accusative and dative forms of the following nouns.

nominative accusative dative

der Student den Studenten dem Studenten

der Herr den Herrn dem Herrn

der Prsident den Prsidenten dem Prsidenten

der Elefant den Elefanten dem Elefanten

Dative Plural Nouns in dative plural take the declensional ending N if they dont already end in an n.
Observe and contemplate the following examples comparing the nominative plural with the dative plural.

nom sing nom plur dat plur

das Kind die Kinder den Kindern the child

der Mann die Mnner den Mnnern the husband, man

(no singular) die Leute den Leuten the people

der Freund die Freunde den Freunden the friend, boyfriend

Exception to Dative Plural N No additional dative plural n is added to plural nouns ending in s or n.
If the plural form of a noun ends in s or n, then no additional dative n is added in the dative plural.

nom sing nom plur dat plur

das Auto die Autos den Autos car(s) plural ends in s / no additional n in dat plur

das Radio die Radios den Radios radio(s) plural ends in s / no additional n in dat plur

der Garten die Grten den Grten garden(s) plural ends in n / no additional n in dat plur

die Frau die Frauen den Frauen wife, woman (s) plur ends in n / no addt. n in dat plur
Introduction to the Dative Case page 3

General Meanings conveyed by the Dative Case

The dative case often includes the meaning to or for.

Example: The German word mir typically means to me or for me.
English often uses the prepositions to or for, where Geman normally prefers the dative case without a preposition.
Look at the following examples and compare the English against the German.

Ich bereite ihnen das Essen vor. I am preparing the food for them.

Sie zeigt ihm ihre Bilder. She is showing her pictures to him.

Die Kinder erzhlen uns eine Geschichte. The childern are telling a story to us.

Common uses for the Dative Case in German

Review the following examples and contemplate the usage of dative compared to their meanings in English.

beneficiary object of certain prepositions

Der Mann gibt seinem Sohn einen Wagen. W ir gehen zur Post. (zu der Post)
The man is giving his son a car. We are going to the post office.
The man is giving a car to his son.

location (as opposed to destination)

dative of loss Er wartet im Bahnhof. (in dem Bahnhof)
Ich soll ihm etwas Geld stehlen. He is waiting inside the train station.
I should steal some money from him. (as opposed to: He is going into the station.)

dative experiencer certain time expressions

Der Kaffee schmeckt mir gut. W ir machen am Montag eine Fete. (an + dem 6 am)
The coffee tastes good to me. We are giving a party on Monday.
Es ist im W inter immer sehr kalt.
It is always very cold in the winter. (in + dem 6 im)
dative of possession
Die Handtasche gehrt meiner Schwester.
The handbag belongs to my sister. occasions/meals
Ich habe mir den Arm gebrochen. zum Geburtstag (zu + dem 6 zum)
I broke my arm. on ones birthday / for one's birthday
zum Abendessen " zum Kaffee
for (at) supper " for (at) coffee
certain idioms
zu mir / zu ihm
over to my place / over to his place object of dative verb
bei ihr / bei uns Der Junge will dem Mann helfen.
at her place / at our place The boy wants to help the man.
nach Hause / zu Hause Der Schler antwortet der Lehrerin nie.
(toward) home / (at) home The pupil never answers the (fem) teacher.
GENITIVE
The genitive case in German is used to indicate three different grammatical functions: the object of certain prepositions,
indefinite time, and nouns possessing other nouns. The genitive case is slowly eroding in the spoken language and being
replaced by dative. However, genitive is alive and well in the written language and is still considered a sign of good
education when used in speaking.

Forms (a few examples)

masc. fem. neut. plur.

S R S R

des der des der (definite article)

dieses dieser dieses dieser (der word)
eines eiener eines (keiner) (indefinite article)
meines meiner meines meiner (possessive adjective)
seines seiner seines seiner
ihres ihrer ihres ihrer
unseres unserer unseres unserer
eueres euerer eueres euerer
etc. etc. etc. etc.

Grammatical Forms of Nouns

All masculine and neuter nouns take an additional ending when used in the genitive case. The normal ending is -es for
nouns that contain one syllable. Nouns with more than one syllable take -s.

Eamples:

des Kindes of the child seines Vaters of his father

des Mannes of the man ihres Wagens of her car
dieses Hauses of this house unseres Professors of our professor
jenes Krieges of that war

Weak Masculine N nouns take the ending -n or -en.

Examples:

des Jungen of the boy

ihres Nachbarn of their neighbor

Feminine and plural nouns take no additional genitive ending.

Examples:

der Frau of the woman

meiner Tante of my aunt
der Leute of the people
meiner Eltern of my parents

TJP " German G rammar H elp Sheet " The Genitive C ase (preliminary draf t, please watch for typos) " Page 1
Prepositions Governing the Genitive
There are well over 100 prepositions that govern the genitive case. Here are a few of the more common ones. Notice that
many of these prepositions contain the key word: of.

wegen because of, on account of oberhalb above

trotz in spite of, regardless of innerhalb inside of, within
statt instead of, in place of auerhalb outside of
whrend during, through the course of diesseits this side of
unterhalb beneath, below, on the underside of jenseits the other (far) side of

In a prepositional construction, the object of the preposition is governed by the case associated with that preposition. If the
preposition governs genitive, then its object takes the genitive case.

Examples:

during the day whrend des Tages

within a week innerhalb einer Woche

A. Exercises: Render the following prepositional phrases into German:

1. because of the rain 7. during the vacation

2. in spite of the heat 8. above the Earth
3. during the summer 9. outside of Europe
4. inside of the motor 10. below sea level
5. this side of the river 11. within the borders of the country
6. the far side of the river 12. instead of the book I'll read ....

Key to Exercises:

1. wegen des Regens 7. whrend der Ferien

2. trotz der Hitze 8. oberhalb der Erde
3. whrend des Sommers 9. auerhalb Europas
4. innerhalb des Motors 10. unterhalb des Meeresspiegels
5. diesseits des Flusses 11. innerhalb der Grenzen
6. jenseits des Flusses 12. statt des Buches

Genitive expressing Indefinite Time

Time expressions that are indefinite, either future or past, are expressed without a preposition in the genitive case.

Examples:

eines Tages some day or one day (in the past or future depen ding on context)
eines Jahres some year or one year (in the past or future depen ding on context)

B. Exercises: Render the following sentences into correct German:

1. We will have a lot of money some day. (in the future)

2. One day she s imply left. (in the pas t)

TJP " German G rammar H elp Sheet " The Genitive C ase (preliminary draf t, please watch for typos) " Page 2
Key to Exercises:

1. Wir werden eines Tages viel Geld haben.

2. Eines Tages ist sie einfach weggegangen.

Genitive Nouns possessing other Nouns

The primary use of the Genitive case in German is to indicate that one noun is possessing another noun. In these
constructions, you will find two nouns back to back. This is seen in English:
Ralph's store / my sister's husband / the sheep's wool.
In English, the possessor typically appears before the item being possessed.
In German the word order is as follows:

noun(1) item being possesed noun(2) possessor of item

case = governed by sentence case = always genitive
both nouns (1&2) toge ther form a single sy ntactic unit

Ich habe den Wagen meines Vaters gekauft.

noun(1) noun(2)
(acc. - d.o.) (gen. - poss)
I bought my fathers car.

Word Order of Nouns with Genitive of Possession

In the German genitive, the item being possessed appears first, and the possessor appears second. It is the possessor that
will take the genitive case. The genitive markers will be determined by the gender of the possessor. The item being
possessed can take any case or be any gender. This will not affect the form of the genitive noun.

Example:

The mailmans bag is yellow. The bag die Tasche is the item being possessed.
In German, the form appears as: The mailman der Brieftrger is the possessor.
Die Tasche des Brieftrgers ist gelb. Notice the masculine, genitive marker -s.

If the genitive noun is a persons name, then the word order is usually reversed from above.

Example:

Johanns radio Johanns Radio There is no apostrophe in the German construction.

If the genitive noun is a geographical name, then the word order can go either way.

Example:

Frances economy Frankreichs Wirtschaft

the economy of France Wirtschaft Frankreichs

TJP " German G rammar H elp Sheet " The Genitive C ase (preliminary draf t, please watch for typos) " Page 3
C. Exercises: Render the following possessives into German using the genitive case.

1. the girls father 11. his childrens house

2. the boys father 12. her fathers uncle
3. the professors book 13. her fathers aunt
4. the womans purse 14. her mothers pen
5. the peoples government 15. her mothers handbag
6. my mothers car 16. the motor of the car
7. my brothers car 17. Erichs bicycle
8. my parents car 18. Helgas child
9. his sons house 19. the industry of Germany
10. his daughters house 20. the history of Ber lin

Key to Exercises

1. der Vater des Mdchens 11. das Haus seiner Kinder

2. der Vater des Jungen
3. das Buch des Professors
4. die Tasche der Frau
5. die Regiereung der Leu te
6. das Auto meiner Mutter
7. das Auto meines Bruders
8. das Auto meiner Eltern
9. das Haus seines Sohnes
10. das Haus seiner Tochter
12. der Onkel ihres Vaters
13. die Tante ihres Vaters
14. der Kuli ihrer Mutter
15. die Tasche ihrer Mutter
16. der Motor des Wagens
17. Erichs Fahrrad
18. Helgas Kind
19. die Industrie Deutschlands
20. die Geschichte Berlins

Examples of Genitive Possessors within sentences:

Remember that in Genitive Possessive constructions, the item being possessed can take any case. This will depend on
how it is functioning in the sentence (subject, direc t object, object of a prepos ition, etc.) The posses sor will always be in
the Genitive Case and will FOLLOW the noun it is possessing.

Examples:

I bought my fathers car last year.

The noun car is the direct object, hence it will take the Accusative Case.
Father is the possessor of car and must take the Genitive. Father will follow car.

Ich habe letztes Jahr den Wagen meines Vaters gekauft. I bought my fathers car last year.

All the elements of the Genitive Possessor cling together and function as a single unit. This unit can not be split up, no
matter where it occurs in the sentence.

Letztes Jahr habe ich den Wagen meines Vaters gekauft.

Den Wagen meines Vaters habe ich letztes Jah r gekauft.

Die Abstimm ung der Regierung bleibt jetz t unverndert. The governments decision remains unchanged now.
Jetzt bleibt die Abstimm ung der Regierung unv erndert. Now the governments decision remains unchanged.

TJP " German G rammar H elp Sheet " The Genitive C ase (preliminary draf t, please watch for typos) " Page 4
D. Exercises: Render the following sentences into correct German.

1. Her mothers handbag is on the table.

2. Were celebrating in my friends garden. (friends is plural)
3. The government gave the money to her husbands sister.
4. In his uncles car, the police found a kilo of hashish.
5. I read the students book.
6. Did you lose the professors pen?
7. Where is your parents vacation house? (talking to two friends)
8. Herr Schneider is working on his daughters house.
9. Uwe sent a gift to his wifes brother.
10. My cat sleeps in the neighbors car.

Key to exercises:

1. Die Handtasche ihrer Mutter liegt auf dem Tisch. (Auf dem Tisch liegt die Tasche ihrer Mutter.)
2. Wir feiern in dem Garten meiner Freunde. (In dem Gerten meiner Freunde feiern wir.)
3. Die Regierung hat der Schwester ihres Mannes das Geld gegeben.
4. In dem Auto seines Onkels hat die Polizei ein Kilo Haschisch gefunden.
5. Ich habe das Buch des Studenten gelesen. (Das Buch des Studenten habe ich gelesen.)
6. Hast du den Kugelschreiber des Professors verloren?
7. Wo ist die Ferienwohnung eurer Eltern?
8. Herr Schneider arbeitet an dem Haus seiner Tochter.
9. Uwe hat dem Bruder seiner Frau ein G eschenk gesch ickt.
10. Meine Katze schlft in dem Auto des Nachbarn. (Im Auto des N achbarn schlft meine Katze.)

Adjective endings
It is common to find Genitive constructions in German where unpreceded adjectives are concerned. These constructions
appear as adjectives without definite or indefinite articles. The Genitive endings will simply be attached to the adjectives
and no other clue will be available in the construction except of course the -s or -es on masculine and neuter nouns in
singular. Unpreceded adjectives in Genitive take -r in the feminine and plural and -n before masculine and neuter nouns.
Constructions with unpreced adjectives usually render into English as of.

Examples:

Tomaso Albinoni war ein Komponist italienisher Herkunft.

Tomaso Albin oni was a compo ser of Italian descent.

Das Wetter letzten Sommers wurde auergewhnlich mild.

The weather of last summer became unusually mild.

TJP " German G rammar H elp Sheet " The Genitive C ase (preliminary draf t, please watch for typos) " Page 5
Beneficiary (indirect object)
To discover whether a sentence contains a beneficiary, follow these steps.

1) Look for a verb that has a meaning of giving, telling or showing.

2) Look for a direct object (something being given, told, or shown).
3) Look for a recipient, a person who is receiving something, being given, told, or shown something.

The person who receives something being given or told is the beneficiary.
The traditional grammar term for beneficiary is indirect object.
The subject acts on the direct object through the verb. The beneficiary receives the direct object.
The beneficiary is typically a person. (It makes no difference whether the beneficiary is a noun or a pronoun.)
The beneficiary in German is expressed in dative case with NO preposition:
In English the beneficiary is often expressed with the preposition to or for.
The beneficiary in English can also be expressed without a preposition, but only if it appears before the direct object.
The idea of to or for is included in the German dative. (Hence there is no need for a preposition in German, only the dative case.)
In German, the word mir can then mean to me or for me. (Please see the German examples below.)
Example: The words der Frau can mean to the woman or for the woman. (Please refer to the German examples below.)

Here are some examples of beneficiary in English (the beneficiary is marked in red italic boldface):
Follow the three steps listed above, that is, look for the verb, direct object and person receiving the direct object.

She gave me a rose for my birthday. Hed like to prepare a gourmet dinner for us.
She gave a rose to me for my birthday. Hed like to prepare us a gourmet dinner.

1) verb of giving or telling gave
2) dir obj - something being given or told a rose
3) person receiving the direct object me = beneficiary
They told her the news about her brother.
They told the news about her brother to her.
The children delivered the toys to the director.
Hell cook a lovely dinner for his wife on their anniversary.
Hell cook his wife a lovely dinner on their anniversary.
Lucy recited a poem to her class.

1) verb of giving or telling told Will you show me your work?

2) dir obj - something being given or told the news
3) person receiving the direct object her = beneficiary
Im sending you a package of cigars for New Years.
Im sending a package of cigars to you for New Years.
Will you show your work to me?
She is demonstrating the machine to her customers.
The children pointed out the artwork to their parents.

Will you explain the results to me, please? Should I order you a ticket to the concert?

Here are some German verbs typically appearing with a beneficiary.

geben give zeigen show vorlesen read aloud
schicken send erzhlen tell erklren explain

In German, the beneficiary is always expressed in the dative case and without a preposition.
Read the examples below and look for the beneficiary in each.

Er gibt mir ein Buch. / Er gibt es mir.
Ich werde der Frau ihr Gepck bringen. / Ich werde es ihr bringen.
Die Frau erzhlt ihrem Sohn eine Geschichte.
Tante Anna schreibt uns oft einen Brief.
Der Mann bckt seiner Frau einen Kuchen.
Ich mchte euch eine Erzhlung vorlesen.
Sie erklrt uns das Problem. / Sie erklrt es uns.
Er muss seinen Schlern eine neue Methode zeigen.
Der Brieftrger liefert mir ein Paket bald.
Der Chef wird mir eienen Platz im Zug reservieren.
He is giving me a book. / He is giving it to me.
I will bring the woman her bag. / I will bring it to her.
The woman is telling her son a story. (to her son)
Aunt Anna often writes us a letter. (to us)
The man is baking his wife a cake. (for his wife)
I would like to read you guys a story. (to you guys)
She is explaining the problem to us. / Shes explaining it to us.
He needs to show his pupils a new method. (to his pupils)
The letter carrier is delivering a package to me soon.
The boss will reserve a seat for me on the train.
Dative of Experience
There are many constructions in German that show a persons relationship to the physical universe and how that
person perceives the universe. One such construction uses the dative case to indicate the person who is experiencing a
sensation. The item being perceived by the person is expressed as the grammatical subject of the sentence in
nominative case. The verb conjugates to this item. The person experiencing the item takes the dative case. The
following instances show examples of the dative of experience aranged by frequently used verbs. Familiarize yourself
with these constructions and memorize them. Verbs are in boldface. Dative elements are underlined.

sein often used to express physical sensation, also attitude: temperature, expense, interest, etc.
Sein is used with the subjects es and das.

Es ist mir hei/kalt. I am hot/cold.

Ist es dir hei/kalt gewesen? Were you hot/cold?
Ist das dir zu teuer? Is that to expensive (for you)?
Das ist mir langweilig gewesen. That was boring (to me).

gefallen indicates pleasure. It is often associated with visual pleasure but can be abstract as well.
Remember that the person experiencing the pleasure takes dative.

Gefllt dir das Mdchen? Do you like the girl? (Is she attractive to you?)
Der Film hat mir gefallen. I liked the movie.
Oh, das gefllt mir. Oh, I like that.

schmecken indicates taste. Unless otherwise stated, schmecken implies a pleasant taste.
Remember that the person experiencing the taste take dative.

Das Bier schmeckt uns. We like the beer. (It tastes good to us.)
Schmeckt euch der Wein? Do you guys like the wine? (taste good to you)
Das Essen hat mir nicht geschmeckt. The food didnt taste good (to me).

gehen is used idiomatically to indicate the state of a persons being.

Gehen is only ever used with the subject es in this meaning and always conjugates to 3sg.

Wie geht es dir? (formal: Wie geht es Ihnen?) How are you?
Es geht mir gut/schlecht. Im doing well/poorly.
Wie ist es deinem Bruder gegangen? How was (it for) your brother?
Es ist ihm gut gegangen. He was fine. (It went well for him.)
Wie geht es deiner Schwester? Hows your sister?
Es geht ihr schlecht. Shes not doing too well.

ntzen indicates usefulness, value, benefit

(ntzt, haben gentzt)

Das ntzt mir nichts. That is of no use to me. That doesnt help me.
Was ntzt dir das? What use is that (to you)? How can that help you?
Was hat das uns gentzt? How did that help us? What good did that do?
 Dative of Relationship

There are several verbs in the German langauge that indicate a relationship between physical items and human
(animate) beings. To express that relationship using these verbs, the physical items appears as the grammatical subject
of the sentence in nominative case. The person to whom object is related takes the dative case. The verb conjugates to
the physical item(s), not to the person. Below are three example verbs to memorize.

gehren indicates: belonging, ownership, possession

passen indicates: fitting, being of correct size (most typically with clothing)

stehen indicates: looking good, being attractive (with clothing, colors, etc.)

OWNERSHIP
verb gehren + a person in the dative who owns the item(s)
The verb gehren conjugates to the item being owned (the owner is in dative).

Das Auto gehrt mir. The car is mine. The car belongs to me.
Meinem Bruder gehrt der Fernseher . The TV set belongs to my brother.
Gehren dir diese Bcher? Do these books belong to you?
Uns gehrt das Haus . The house is ours. The house belongs to us.

CORRECT SIZE OF CLOTHING

verb passen + a person in the dative who fits into the item(s)
The verb gehren conjugates to the item being owned (the owner is in dative).

Das Hemd passt mir. The shirt fits me.

Passen dir die Socken? Do the socks fit you?
Ihr passt Die Mtze nicht The cap doesnt fit her.
Gut passen ihm die Jeans. The jeans fit him well.

ATTRACTIVENESS OF CLOTHING & COLORS

verb = stehen + person in the dative who looks good in the item
The verb stehen conjugates to the item that looks good (the owner is in dative).

Die Farbe steht dir. That color looks good on you. You look good in that color.
Ihr steht das Kleid nicht. The dress doesnt suit her. She doesnt look good in that dress.
Steht mir diese Mtze? Does this cap look good on me? Do I look OK in this cap?
Die Jacke steht meinem Vater nicht. The jacket doesnt look good on my father.
Den Kindern stehen die Krawatten gut. The ties look nice on the children.