German · A2 · Family moment
Here to Help in German
Practise talking with your child about help, favourite things, belongings and things that are missing. The verbs helfen, gefallen, gehören and fehlen take a dative person, but the subject is not always the same as in English.
What you'll learn
- Offer help and ask for help.
- Talk about what someone likes and who something belongs to.
- Say what someone is missing.
- Identify the dative person and the nominative subject.
German phrases for here to help
Ich werde dir bei deinen Hausaufgaben helfen.
I will help you with your homework.
Ich is the subject doing the helping. Dir is the dative person receiving help. Bei also takes the dative: bei deinen Hausaufgaben.
Kannst du mir mit diesen Taschen helfen?
Can you help me with these bags?
Du is the subject; mir is the dative person receiving help. Mit takes the dative: mit diesen Taschen.
Gefällt dir deine neue Schultasche?
Do you like your new school bag?
Deine neue Schultasche is the nominative subject. Dir is the person who likes it. Think: ‘Is your new school bag pleasing to you?’
Deinem Freund gefällt dieses Brettspiel.
Your friend likes this board game.
Deinem Freund is dative. Dieses Brettspiel is the nominative subject, even though it comes after the verb.
Gehört dieser Bleistift dir?
Does this pencil belong to you?
Dieser Bleistift is the nominative subject. Dir is the dative owner. No separate word for ‘to’ is needed.
Der blaue Fußball gehört deinem Bruder.
The blue football belongs to your brother.
Der blaue Fußball is the nominative subject. Deinem Bruder is the dative owner.
Dir fehlt ein Bleistift.
You are missing a pencil.
Ein Bleistift is the nominative subject: the thing that is missing. Dir is the person who is missing it.
Deiner Schwester fehlt ein Zahn.
Your sister is missing a tooth.
Ein Zahn is the nominative subject. Deiner Schwester is the dative person who is missing it.
Hear these phrases and practise them
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Try it free for 7 daysKey words
helfen
to help
Use the dative for the person receiving help: Ich helfe dir.
gefallen
to appeal to; to be liked by
The thing someone likes is the subject. The person who likes it is dative.
gehören
to belong to
The owner is dative: Das gehört mir means ‘That belongs to me.’
fehlen
to be missing
The missing thing is the subject. Add a dative person to say who is missing it.
die Hausaufgaben
homework
Normally plural in German, unlike English ‘homework’.
die Schultasche
school bag
Plural: die Schultaschen.
das Brettspiel
board game
Plural: die Brettspiele.
der Bleistift
pencil
Plural: die Bleistifte.
der Zahn
tooth
Plural: die Zähne.
Who is the subject, and who is dative?
These four verbs take a dative person. With helfen, the helper is the nominative subject. With gefallen, gehören and fehlen, the thing being discussed is usually the nominative subject.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| helfen | helper (nominative) + helfen + person receiving help (dative) | Ich helfe dir. — I help you. |
| gefallen | thing liked (nominative) + gefallen + person who likes it (dative) | Das Spiel gefällt mir. — I like the game. |
| gehören | belonging (nominative) + gehören + owner (dative) | Der Ball gehört dir. — The ball belongs to you. |
| fehlen | missing thing (nominative) + fehlen + person missing it (dative) | Ein Zahn fehlt deiner Schwester. — Your sister is missing a tooth. |
Useful dative forms
Dative pronouns and possessive endings show the person's role. The dative person can also come first: Dir fehlt ein Bleistift.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I → me | ich → mir | Kannst du mir helfen? — Can you help me? |
| you → you, when speaking to one child | du → dir | Ich helfe dir. — I help you. |
| Masculine possessive | dein Bruder → deinem Bruder | Das gehört deinem Bruder. — That belongs to your brother. |
| Feminine possessive | deine Schwester → deiner Schwester | Ich helfe deiner Schwester. — I help your sister. |
Match the verb to the subject
The verb agrees with the nominative subject, not the dative person. A singular thing takes gefällt, gehört or fehlt; plural things take gefallen, gehören or fehlen. In yes/no questions, the conjugated verb comes first.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular subject | ein Bleistift + fehlt | Dir fehlt ein Bleistift. — You are missing a pencil. |
| Plural subject | zwei Bleistifte + fehlen | Dir fehlen zwei Bleistifte. — You are missing two pencils. |
| Yes/no question | conjugated verb first | Gehört der Ball dir? — Does the ball belong to you? |
| Future and modal verbs | werde or kannst + other words + helfen | Ich werde dir helfen. / Kannst du mir helfen? — I will help you. / Can you help me? |
More examples
Gefällt dir das Buch?
Do you like the book?
Das Buch is the singular subject; dir is dative.
Deiner Schwester gefallen diese Spiele.
Your sister likes these games.
Diese Spiele is plural, so use gefallen. Deiner Schwester is dative.
Diese Stifte gehören mir.
These pens belong to me.
Diese Stifte is the plural subject; mir is the dative owner.
Fehlt dir eine Tasche?
Are you missing a bag?
Eine Tasche is the nominative subject. Fehlt comes first because this is a yes/no question.