Introduction to gefallen, schmecken & passen

In English, "I like this film" and "this film pleases me" say the same thing — but in the first sentence you are the subject, and in the second the film is. German permanently uses the second structure for a whole family of verbs. Gefallen, schmecken, passen and several others make the thing being liked the grammatical subject and the person doing the liking the dative object. This reversal is one of the most important structural differences between German and English, and once you understand it, a large family of natural German expressions unlocks immediately.

Why These Verbs Matter

The subject/object reversal is total and consistent: With gefallen, the thing you like is always the subject — it agrees with the verb. The person who likes it is always in the dative. There are no exceptions.
These verbs are extremely high frequency: Wie gefällt dir...?, Das schmeckt mir gut, Das passt mir nicht — these are expressions used in every restaurant, every shopping trip, every conversation about preferences.
The distinction from mögen is real and useful: Ich mag diesen Film and Dieser Film gefällt mir both express liking — but gefallen emphasises the experience of pleasing in the moment, while mögen expresses a deeper, more general fondness. Both are correct; knowing both makes you more expressive.
The plural form catches learners off guard: Diese Schuhe gefallen mir — because the shoes are plural and the grammatical subject, the verb is plural. Many learners instinctively use the singular because they are thinking of themselves as the subject.

Understanding Dative Verbs of Liking

The Core Reversal

The key structural difference from mögen:

	mögen (normal structure)	gefallen (reversed structure)
Subject (nominative)	The person: Ich	The thing: Der Film
Object	The thing (accusative): diesen Film	The person (dative): mir
Example	Ich mag diesen Film.	Der Film gefällt mir.
Literal feel	I like this film.	This film pleases me.

gefallen — to please / to like (aesthetic experience)

Gefallen expresses that something pleases or appeals to someone — often in an aesthetic, sensory, or momentary sense. The thing that pleases is the subject; the person pleased is in the dative:

German	English	Subject (thing)	Dative (person)
Der Film gefällt mir.	I like the film.	Der Film (masc. sg.)	mir
Das Kleid gefällt ihr.	She likes the dress.	Das Kleid (neut. sg.)	ihr
Die Stadt gefällt uns.	We like the city.	Die Stadt (fem. sg.)	uns
Diese Schuhe gefallen mir.	I like these shoes.	Diese Schuhe (plural)	mir
Wie gefällt dir Berlin?	How do you like Berlin?	Berlin (sg.)	dir

Critical point: The verb agrees with the thing (the subject), not with the person. Diese Schuhe gefallen mir — plural subject → plural verb. Das Lied gefällt mir — singular subject → singular verb.

The Dative Pronouns — Quick Reference

Person	Nominative	Dative (used with gefallen etc.)
I	ich	mir
you (informal)	du	dir
he	er	ihm
she	sie	ihr
we	wir	uns
you (plural)	ihr	euch
they / you (formal)	sie / Sie	ihnen / Ihnen

schmecken — to taste good / to like (food and drink)

Schmecken works exactly like gefallen but is used specifically for food and drink. The food is the subject; the person is the dative object:

German	English	Note
Der Kuchen schmeckt mir.	I like the cake. / The cake tastes good to me.	cake = subject, mir = dative
Schmeckt dir die Suppe?	Do you like the soup?	soup = subject (singular → schmeckt)
Die Nudeln schmecken ihm nicht.	He doesn't like the pasta.	pasta = subject (plural → schmecken)
Wie schmeckt Ihnen das Steak?	How do you like the steak?	formal; steak = subject

Note: Schmecken can also be used intransitively to mean "tastes good" without specifying a person: Das schmeckt! (That tastes good!) or Das schmeckt nicht. (That doesn't taste good.)

passen — to suit / to fit / to be convenient

Passen means the thing fits or suits the person — whether in terms of size, style, or timing. Same structure: the thing is the subject, the person is the dative:

German	English	Note
Das Hemd passt mir nicht.	The shirt doesn't fit me. / doesn't suit me.	fit/suit — physical or aesthetic
Passt dir Montag?	Does Monday suit you? / Is Monday convenient?	scheduling — the time suits the person
Die Farbe passt ihr gut.	The colour suits her well.	aesthetic match
Diese Stelle passt zu ihm.	This job suits him. / This position is a good fit for him.	passen zu = to be a match for

Other Important Verbs in This Family

Several other common verbs follow the same reversed structure — the experiencer is in the dative, the stimulus is the subject:

Verb	Meaning	Example
fehlen	to be missing / to miss	Du fehlst mir. (I miss you. — lit. You are missing to me.)
gehören	to belong to	Das Buch gehört mir. (The book belongs to me.)
helfen	to help	Er hilft mir. (He helps me.)
danken	to thank	Ich danke dir. (I thank you.)
glauben	to believe (someone)	Ich glaube dir. (I believe you.)
leidtun	to be sorry / to feel bad	Das tut mir leid. (I am sorry. — lit. That does sorrow to me.)

gefallen vs. mögen — When to Use Which

Both express liking — but they have different shades:

gefallen	mögen
Emphasises the experience of being pleased in the moment	Expresses deeper, more general, ongoing fondness
Often used for aesthetic reactions: art, music, clothing, places	Used for people, foods, and general preferences
Der Film gefällt mir sehr. — I really like the film (it's pleasing me).	Ich mag Horrorfilme. — I like horror films (general preference).
Thing is subject → verb agrees with thing	Person is subject → verb agrees with person
Uses dative for the person	Uses accusative for the thing

Step-by-Step Guide

Identify the thing being liked — this will be your grammatical subject (nominative).
Identify the person doing the liking — this will be your dative object.
Make the verb agree with the thing, not with the person: one shoe → gefällt; two shoes → gefallen.
Choose the right dative pronoun: mir, dir, ihm, ihr, uns, euch, ihnen/Ihnen.
Choose the right verb: food/drink → schmecken; fit/suit/schedule → passen; general aesthetic liking → gefallen.

Pro Tip: The fastest way to form a gefallen sentence is to think of it as "X pleases me" — put X first as the subject, then the verb agreeing with X, then mir/dir/ihm etc. Rethink "I like X" as "X is pleasing to me" and the structure writes itself.

Memory Pattern: With gefallen, German grammar is humble — it does not say "I like this." It says "this pleases me." The thing has the power; the person receives the experience. This is why the thing becomes the subject and the person becomes the dative.

Key Examples

German	English	Note
Der Film gefällt mir sehr.	I really like the film.	gefallen — singular masculine subject, mir dative
Diese Schuhe gefallen mir nicht.	I don't like these shoes.	plural subject → plural verb gefallen
Wie gefällt dir die neue Wohnung?	How do you like the new flat?	asking for an aesthetic reaction; dir = informal dative
Der Kuchen schmeckt mir ausgezeichnet.	The cake tastes excellent to me.	schmecken for food; singular subject → schmeckt
Die Pasta schmeckt ihnen nicht.	They don't like the pasta.	plural subject → schmecken; ihnen = dative of sie (they)
Passt dir Freitag?	Does Friday suit you? / Is Friday OK for you?	passen for scheduling; Freitag = subject
Das Kleid passt ihr sehr gut.	The dress suits her very well.	passen for fit/style; ihr = dative of sie (she)
Du fehlst mir.	I miss you.	fehlen — literally "you are missing to me"; du = subject, mir = dative
Das tut mir leid.	I am sorry.	leidtun — fixed expression; das = subject, mir = dative
Das Buch gehört mir.	The book belongs to me.	gehören — the book is subject; mir = dative

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Ich gefalle diesen Film.
- Fix: Gefallen reverses the structure — the film is the subject, not the person. Say Dieser Film gefällt mir. Never use ich as the subject with gefallen when expressing that you like something.
Mistake 2: Diese Schuhe gefällt mir.
- Fix: The verb agrees with the subject — the shoes are plural, so the verb must be plural: Diese Schuhe gefallen mir. This is the most common error: learners match the verb to the dative person instead of the nominative subject.
Mistake 3: Der Kuchen schmeckt mich gut.
- Fix: Schmecken takes a dative person, not accusative. Use mir, not mich: Der Kuchen schmeckt mir gut.
Mistake 4: Passt dir am Freitag?
- Fix: Passen needs a subject — the day or time that suits the person. Say Passt dir Freitag? or Passt dir der Freitag? Without a subject, the sentence is incomplete.
Nuance 1: Ich mag diesen Film vs. Dieser Film gefällt mir.
- Fix: Both are correct but have different emphasis. Mögen expresses a general, lasting fondness — it is about your overall taste. Gefallen expresses the experience of being pleased — often in the moment or aesthetically. Ich mag Horrorfilme (general preference for the genre). Dieser Film gefällt mir sehr (this specific film is pleasing me right now).

Cultural Insights

Wie gefällt es Ihnen?: This is one of the most common questions in German service contexts — waiters, shop assistants, hotel staff, and hosts all use it. Wie gefällt Ihnen das Zimmer? (How do you like the room?), Wie gefällt Ihnen das Essen? (How is the food?). Knowing how to answer — Es gefällt mir sehr gut or Es schmeckt ausgezeichnet — is an essential social skill.
Du fehlst mir — one of the most powerful sentences in German: The expression du fehlst mir is often cited as one of the most poignant sentences in German because it captures absence so precisely. Literally "you are missing to me," it makes the other person an active presence in your experience of their absence. It is the standard way to say "I miss you" and is used in everyday conversation, letters, and song lyrics alike.

Practice Scenarios

At a restaurant: Expressing whether food tastes good, e.g., Wie schmeckt dir die Suppe? — Sie schmeckt mir sehr gut, danke. (How do you like the soup? — It tastes very good, thank you.)
- Schmeckt dir...? (Do you like...?)
- Das schmeckt mir (nicht). (I (don't) like the taste of this.)
- Wie schmeckt Ihnen...? (How do you like...? — formal)
Shopping for clothes: Saying whether something suits you, e.g., Wie gefällt dir das Kleid? — Es gefällt mir gut, aber es passt mir leider nicht. (How do you like the dress? — I like it, but unfortunately it doesn't fit me.)
- Gefällt dir...? (Do you like...?)
- Es passt mir (nicht). (It (doesn't) fit / suit me.)
- Die Farbe gefällt mir sehr. (I really like the colour.)
Making plans: Asking whether a time suits someone, e.g., Passt dir Donnerstag um 18 Uhr? — Ja, das passt mir gut. (Does Thursday at 6 p.m. suit you? — Yes, that works well for me.)
- Passt dir...? (Does ... suit you?)
- Das passt mir (leider nicht). (That (unfortunately doesn't) work for me.)
- Wann passt es dir? (When does it suit you?)

Follow-Up Questions

Why does the verb agree with the thing and not with the person in gefallen sentences?
- Example Answer: Because the thing is the grammatical subject of the sentence. In Dieser Film gefällt mir, der Film is nominative singular — the verb gefällt is singular to match it. In Diese Filme gefallen mir, the films are plural — gefallen is plural. German verb agreement always follows the subject, regardless of meaning.
What is the difference between Das schmeckt mir and Ich mag das?
- Example Answer: Both express liking, but schmecken is specifically for taste — food and drink. Mögen is for general fondness and can apply to anything. Das schmeckt mir gut means the taste is pleasing to me right now. Ich mag das is a more general statement of preference.
How do you say "I miss you" in German?
- Example Answer: Du fehlst mir — literally "you are missing to me." Du is the subject (the person who is absent), mir is the dative (the person experiencing the absence). This reversed structure makes the absent person an active presence in the sentence.

Conclusion

The dative verbs of liking — gefallen, schmecken, passen and the broader family — all share one structural logic: the thing experienced is the subject; the person experiencing it is the dative object. Once this reversal is automatic, a whole range of natural, high-frequency German expressions become available. The verb agreement rule (match the verb to the subject thing, not the dative person) is the most important point to drill — it is where almost all errors with this structure occur.

Practice Makes Perfect

The exercises below focus on both the reversed structure and the verb agreement rule — pay particular attention to sentences where the subject is plural, because that is where learners most consistently make the wrong choice.