With gefallen, the thing that appeals is the grammatical subject and the person experiencing the feeling is dative.
The idea
A singular thing takes gefällt, while plural things take gefallen. Compare Das Bild gefällt mir and Die Bilder gefallen mir. The participle is also gefallen.
| Form / Muster | Beispiel / Gegensatz |
|---|---|
| Sache: Subjekt | Das Bild gefällt … |
| Person: Dativ | … mir / dir / ihr. |
| Plural | Die Bilder gefallen mir. |
| Perfekt | hat gefallen |
Examples
- Das Bild gefällt mir.
- Die Schuhe gefallen meiner Schwester.
- Gefällt dir die Wohnung?
- Uns hat der Film gut gefallen.
- Der rote Mantel gefällt ihm besser.
- Ihr gefallen die großen Fenster.
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Watch out
The thing liked is the grammatical subject: Die Bilder gefallen mir. Use a plural verb for plural things, and put the person who likes them in dative.
Try it yourself
Die Bilder ___ mir. (gefällt / gefallen)
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gefallen
Answer: “gefallen”. The verb agrees with its grammatical subject, not with a nearby object or dative person.
Das Lied gefällt ___. (ich / mir)
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mir
Answer: “mir”. This complement is dative; its article, pronoun or adjective must show that case.
Der Film hat uns ___. (gefallen)
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gefallen
Answer: “gefallen”. The auxiliary already carries the tense and person; the final verb needs its past participle.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
Die Bilder ___ mir. (gefällt / gefallen)
Das Lied gefällt ___. (ich / mir)
Der Film hat uns ___. (gefallen)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Use “Das Bild gefällt mir.” as a model. Replace the noun phrase with two new people or objects, then explain which case each replacement needs.