The Dative Case: To Whom? For Whom?
The Dative case is used to indicate the indirect object of a verb – to whom or for whom an action is done. It is also used after certain verbs and prepositions. Its main purpose is to show the recipient of something or the beneficiary of an action.
Nouns: Endings change based on gender, number, and hard/soft stem.
- Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -u or -owi. (e.g., bratu, daję nauczycielowi - I give to a teacher, miastu - to a city, polu - to a field).
- Singular Feminine: ending -e (after hard consonant), -i (after soft consonant). (e.g., siostrze - to a sister, ziemi - to the earth).
- Plural (all genders): ending -om. (e.g., studentom - to students, nauczycielom - to teachers, siostrom - to sisters, miastom - to cities).
Adjectives:
- Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -emu. (e.g., dobremu bratu - to a good brother, ostatniemu nauczycielowi - to the last teacher)
- Singular Feminine: ending -ej. (e.g., dobrej siostrze - to a good sister, ostatniej ziemi - to the last piece of land)
- Plural (all genders): ending -ym or -im. (e.g., dobrym braciom - to good brothers, ostatnim nauczycielom - to the last teachers)
Examples: Daj książkę bratu (Give the book to the brother). Mówię uczniom (I am speaking to the students). Piszę list rodzicom (I am writing a letter to the parents).