Verbs with Dative Objects

I. Theory

In English, the word order and the preposition to is used to convey the indirect recipient of certain verbs. In German, to express the idea of something being done to or for someone, the dative case is used and the “to” is often inferred.

Sie hat mir 100 Euro gegeben. She gave 100 euros to me. Schreibt er dir jeden Tag? Does he write to you every day?

II. Differences from English

Since the words “to” or “for” often mark the usage of the dative for English speakers, it is important to note that there are several verbs that take an indirect object that do not take one in English. For example: we say “I help you” and not “I help to you”.