mit, bei, von, zu

Rather than learning the dative as an abstract case, learn it through the prepositions that always demand it. These four cover most of what you need at A1.

After mit, bei, von, zu → dative, every time, no exceptions to worry about yet.

• Ich fahre mit dem Auto.

  I go by car.

  das Auto → dem

• Ich gehe zu meinem Freund.

  I am going to my friend’s place.

• Das Geschenk ist von meiner Schwester.

  The present is from my sister.

  die Schwester → meiner

• Ich bin bei meinen Eltern.

  I am at my parents’ place.

  plural → meinen

• Ich spreche mit meiner Frau.

  I am talking with my wife.

• Der Kaffee ist von meiner Frau.

  The coffee is from my wife.

• Ich fahre mit meinem Freund.

  I am travelling with my friend.

Here is the whole transformation. Masculine and neuter collapse into the same form, which makes it easier than it looks.

The plural has one extra quirk: the noun itself adds an -n if it does not already end in one. die Eltern already does; die Freunde becomes mit den Freunden.

Two contractions are so common that not using them sounds stilted:

zu dem Arzt is not wrong — it is grammatically fine, and you will occasionally hear it for emphasis. But zum is what people say. Note that the contraction only works with the definite article: zu meinem Freund has no short form.