dativepossessive

The dative possessive is a grammatical construction found in some languages, notably Latin and its Romance descendants like Italian and Portuguese, where the possessor is expressed using the dative case rather than a genitive or other possessive construction. In Latin, for example, the construction uses a dative pronoun with a conjugated verb, often 'esse' (to be), to indicate possession. An example is mihi est liber, literally "to me is a book," which means "I have a book." This contrasts with the more common genitive possessive, such as liber mei, meaning "the book of me" or "my book."

This dative possessive structure emphasizes the possessor's relationship to the possessed item, often highlighting their role as an experiencer or recipient. The dative possessive is not a universal feature of all languages and its specific manifestation varies significantly across those that employ it. In Italian, a similar construction can be observed with the verb avere (to have) and indirect object pronouns, such as mi piace, literally "to me is pleasing," meaning "I like it." Understanding the dative possessive is crucial for accurately interpreting texts in languages where it is prevalent, as it can subtly alter the nuance of possession compared to constructions found in languages like English.