dativeindirect

The dative indirect, or dative indirect object, is a grammatical category used in languages with a case system to mark the recipient, beneficiary, or target of an action. It is typically distinct from the direct object and is often associated with verbs of giving, transferring, or communicating. In languages with a dative case, the indirect object appears in the dative form, signaling its role as the entity that experiences or benefits from the action.

In practice, the dative indirect is often illustrated with ditransitive constructions that involve a sender, a recipient, and a thing being transferred. For example in German: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. The direct object das Buch is in the accusative, while dem Mann is in the dative, indicating the recipient. In Russian, Я даю другу книгу, the word другy in the dative marks the recipient. In languages without a distinct dative case, the recipient is typically expressed with a prepositional phrase such as to or for, creating a prepositional indirect object rather than a morphologically marked one in English.

The concept is closely related to the broader notions of ditransitives and the double object construction, where two noun phrases participate in the action: the indirect object (recipient/beneficiary) and the direct object (the thing given or affected). Cross-linguistically, the exact syntax and morphology of the dative indirect vary: some languages rely on case marking, others on prepositions or word order to convey the same semantic function.