nominátíve

Nominatīve is a grammatical case, most commonly associated with Slavic languages, that serves as the base or dictionary form of a noun. It typically indicates the subject of a sentence or a predicate nominative. In many languages, the nominative case is the simplest form of a noun, often appearing without any inflectional endings. For example, in Czech, the noun "pes" (dog) in its nominative singular form functions as the subject: "Pes běží" (The dog is running).

The nominative case is crucial for identifying the actor performing an action or the entity being described. It distinguishes the subject from other grammatical roles like the direct object (accusative case) or indirect object (dative case). While its primary function is to mark the subject, it can also be used after linking verbs, such as "to be," to rename or describe the subject. For instance, "On je lékař" (He is a doctor) uses "lékař" (doctor) in the nominative case as a predicate nominative.

The presence and specific usage of the nominative case can vary significantly between languages. Some languages have a more extensive system of cases, where the nominative might be less prominent, while others rely heavily on it for sentence structure. Understanding the nominative case is fundamental to comprehending the grammatical structure and meaning of sentences in languages where it is a feature.