datív

Datív, also called the dative case in many languages, is a grammatical category used to mark relations involving indirect objects, receivers, beneficiaries, or the target of certain actions. In languages with a rich inflection system, the datív is expressed by noun, pronoun, and article endings; in analytic languages, its function is conveyed mainly by prepositions and word order. The term derives from Latin dativus, from dare to give.

In German, the datív denotes the indirect object of a verb and answers questions such as to whom or for whom something is done. For example: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch (I give the book to the man). The definite article changes from der/die/das to dem/der/dem in the singular, and den is used in the dative plural. Dativ is also used with certain verbs (helfen, danken, gehören) and with specific prepositions that govern the dative, such as mit or bei.

Other languages with a dedicated datív include Latin, Russian, Czech and Slovak, and many others in the inflected Indo-European family. In Latin, donum puellae dedi means I gave a gift to the girl, with puellae in the dative. In Russian, the dative marks recipients or beneficiaries and appears in forms like другу (to a friend) in the phrase Я дал книгу другу. These usages can extend to express indirect possession, benefits, or the recipient of an action.

In English, there is little to no morphological datív; the indirect object is usually expressed with prepositional phrases, such as to someone or for someone, or by word order rather than case endings.

See also: nominative, accusative, genitive.