---
title: "Verb Valency: Nominative, Accusative, and Dative — German grammar B2"
description: "Explore which complements German verbs require: accusative, dative, both cases, or—in rare patterns—two accusatives."
canonical: "https://cefra.app/en/explore/de/grammar/b2/german-verb-valency-nominative-accusative-dative"
lang: "en"
learning_language: "de"
cefr_level: "B2"
updated: "2026-07-11"
alternates:
  en: "https://cefra.app/en/explore/de/grammar/b2/german-verb-valency-nominative-accusative-dative.md"
  fr: "https://cefra.app/fr/explore/de/grammar/b2/german-verb-valency-nominative-accusative-dative.md"
  pl: "https://cefra.app/pl/explore/de/grammar/b2/german-verb-valency-nominative-accusative-dative.md"
  ru: "https://cefra.app/ru/explore/de/grammar/b2/german-verb-valency-nominative-accusative-dative.md"
---

# Verb Valency: Nominative, Accusative, and Dative

[Cefra](https://cefra.app/en.md) › [German](https://cefra.app/en/explore/de.md) › [Grammar](https://cefra.app/en/explore/de/grammar.md) › [B2](https://cefra.app/en/explore/de/grammar/b2.md) › Verb Valency: Nominative, Accusative, and Dative

Explore which complements German verbs require: accusative, dative, both cases, or—in rare patterns—two accusatives.

Last updated: July 11, 2026

A German verb determines its complement pattern. **fragen, sehen, anrufen** take an accusative object; **antworten, helfen, begegnen, zuhören, vertrauen** take dative. Ditransitives such as **geben, schenken, erklären, vorlesen, leihen** normally combine a person in dative with a thing in accusative. A small group—**nennen, kosten, lehren, schimpfen**—can take two accusatives: **Man nennt ihn einen Experten.** Valency is lexical and cannot always be predicted from meaning.

## Contrasts and tested patterns

| Learning goal                    | German example                                            |
| -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| accusative, not dative           | Ich **frage den Kollegen**.                               |
| dative, not accusative           | Ich **antworte dem Kollegen**.                            |
| minimal pair                     | Ich **rufe den Kunden an**. / Ich **höre dem Kunden zu**. |
| dative person + accusative thing | Die Lehrerin **liest den Kindern eine Geschichte vor**.   |
| two accusatives                  | Man **nennt den Bewerber einen Experten**.                |
| price + affected person          | Der Kurs **kostet die Teilnehmerin 200 Euro**.            |

Pronouns preserve the pattern: **Ich frage ihn**, but **ich antworte ihm**; **sie erklärt es ihm**; **man nennt ihn einen Experten**.

## Exercises

[Start practice](https://cefra.app/en/explore/de/grammar/b2/german-verb-valency-nominative-accusative-dative/practice)

1. Sort the verbs or sentences by complement pattern. (10 tasks)
2. Write the complete sentence using the required complement pattern and register. (10 tasks)