The Dative Case: To Whom? For Whom?
The Dative case is used to show the indirect object of a verb – to whom or for whom an action is done. It's also used after certain verbs and prepositions (though we won't list all of them here). Its main purpose is to indicate the recipient of something or the beneficiary of an action.
Nouns: Endings change based on gender, number, and hard/soft stem.
- Singular Masc/Neuter: -u . (e.g., k bratu - to a brother, dam učitelu - I give to a teacher, selu - to a village, polju - to a field).
- Singular Feminine: hard -ě, soft -i. (e.g., k sestrě - to a sister, zemlji - to land).
- Plural (all genders): hard/soft -am/-jam. (e.g., bratam - to brothers, učiteljam - to teachers, sestram - to sisters, zemjam - to lands, selam - to villages, poljam - to fields).
Adjectives:
- Singular Masc/Neuter: hard -omu, soft -emu. (e.g., dobromu bratu - to a good brother, svěžemu učitelju - to a fresh teacher, dobromu selu - to a good village).
- Singular Feminine: hard -oj, soft -ej. (e.g., dobroj sestrě - to a good sister, svěžej zemji - to new land).
- Plural (all genders): hard/soft -ym/-im. (e.g., dobrym bratam - to good brothers, svězim učiteljam - to fresh teachers, dobrym sestram - to good sisters).
Examples: Daj knigu bratu (Give the book to the brother). Govorim studentam (We are speaking to the students). Idem k sestrě (I am going to the sister). Pišem list roditeljam (We are writing a letter to the parents).