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Pronoun 'ihm' (him/it, dative)
Pronomen 'ihm' (Dativ)
'ihm' (to him/it) is the of both 'er' and 'es'.
Structure
… + ihm (Dativ, maskulin/neutrum: er & es)
… + ihm (dative, masculine/neuter: er & es)
Details
- Part of Speech
- Pronoun
- Word Type
- Personal pronoun
- Register
- Standard
Explanation
'ihm' is the dative form of both 'er' and 'es' - it means (to) him or (to) it. One form covers the masculine and the neuter receiver.
When you use it:
- after dative verbs: helfen, danken, gefallen, gehören, geben, antworten (for example Ich helfe ihm - I help him)
- after dative prepositions: mit, bei, von, zu, nach, aus (for example mit ihm - with him)
- as the receiver in give-type sentences (Ich gebe ihm das Buch - I give him the book)
Contrast:
- Er ist mein Freund. ( - )
- Ich kenne ihn. (direct - )
- Ich helfe ihm. (indirect - )
Examples:
- Ich helfe ihm gern. - I like helping him.
- Das Auto gefällt ihm. - He likes the car. (literally: the car pleases him)
- Ich fahre mit ihm. - I am travelling with him.
Common mistakes: Do not use ihn () after verbs: say Ich helfe ihm, not Ich helfe ihn. Remember that neuter es also becomes ihm in the .
About Pronoun 'ihm' (him/it, dative)
'ihm' (to him/it) is the of both 'er' and 'es'.
of 'er' and 'es'; after dative verbs and prepositions (mit ihm).
'ihm' ist der von 'er' UND von 'es'.
Caution
Both 'er' and 'es' become 'ihm' in the dative. Use it after dative verbs (Ich helfe ihm).