Dative

In grammar, the dative case is a grammatical case primarily indicating the indirect object of a verb or the recipient of an action. It often answers the questions "to whom?" or "for whom?" The dative case marks the noun or pronoun that is affected by the action, but not directly. It can indicate possession, advantage, disadvantage, or a variety of other relationships. Languages with a dative case, like German, Latin, and Sanskrit, utilize specific inflections or prepositions to signal its presence. While English lacks a dedicated dative case, its function is frequently expressed using prepositions like "to" or "for."

Dative meaning with examples

• The teacher gave the *students* (dative) a difficult assignment. 'Students' is the indirect object, receiving the assignment. The dative indicates who benefits from or receives the action.
• He wrote *her* (dative) a letter expressing his feelings. 'Her' is the dative pronoun, showing the recipient. 'To her' would be a prepositional phrase in English.
• The artist dedicated the artwork *to the museum* (dative). The museum, as the recipient, illustrates the dative function which in English, is expressed with a preposition.
• She baked a cake *for her friends* (dative). 'For her friends' shows who the cake is intended. The dative case signifies benefit or purpose.
• The king granted the land *to his loyal knights* (dative). This describes the recipients of the grant. The dative form communicates indirect beneficiaries.