lokative

The lokative is a grammatical case found in several languages, primarily Slavic languages, that indicates location or place. It answers the question "where?" or "in what?". Unlike a preposition that expresses location, the lokative is a case inflection, meaning the ending of a noun, adjective, or pronoun changes to signal its locative function.

In many Slavic languages, the lokative is often used with prepositions like "v" (in) or "na" (on). For example, in Russian, the noun "дом" (dom, house) in the lokative case with the preposition "v" becomes "в доме" (v dome), meaning "in the house". The lokative is distinct from the instrumental case, which can also indicate location in some contexts, but the lokative is more specifically tied to static or residing presence in a place.

While most prominent in Slavic languages, similar locative functions can be observed or are historically present in other language families. The existence and form of the lokative case vary significantly between languages, with some having a fully developed system and others retaining only remnants or having merged it with other cases. Its primary purpose remains the clear and concise expression of spatial relationships.