pronoun
to him, him (dative)
A1
Ihm is the dative form of the third-person masculine pronoun (er) and means 'to him' or 'him' as an indirect object. Used for indirect objects or after dative-governing prepositions. Corresponding forms: nominative er, accusative ihn, genitive seiner. It does not indicate gender beyond masculine singular.
Examples
Hast du ihm schon Bescheid gesagt?
Have you already told him?
Ich gebe ihm das Buch.
I give the book to him.
Der Arzt gab ihm die Medikamente, weil sein Zustand sich verschlechterte.
The doctor gave him the medication because his condition worsened.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine giving something to a man and thinking 'ich gebe es ihm' (I give it to him).
Think 'him' in English but with an 'i' sound — 'ihm' is dative form of 'er'.
Notes
'ihm' is the dative form of the third-person masculine/neuter pronoun 'er'.