LOCATív

Locativ, also known as the locative, is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate location relative to another noun. It forms part of the noun’s inflection system or is realized through a prepositional construction, and it is typically used with prepositions or verbs that govern location or topic.

In Czech, the locative (lokativ) is a distinct case that marks location after prepositions such as v (in) and o (about). For example, v domě means “in the house” and uses the locative form of the noun dům (domě). This form often differs from the nominative and other oblique cases and agrees with number and gender where applicable.

In Polish, the locative (miejscownik) serves a similar role and appears after prepositions like o (about) and w (in). An example is o mieście, meaning “about the city.” In other languages, locative usage may be more limited or realized through fixed prepositional phrases rather than a fully inflected case.

Historically, the locative is an ancient feature in many Indo-European languages and is sometimes retained only in formal registers or older texts, while in others it remains a productive case with extensive endings. The term locatív is used in some linguistic traditions and is sometimes rendered as lokál or lokativ depending on the language and scholarly framework.