Dative case is the third case of Russian language and has only 3 main rules, which are going to be discussed in this article.
1) Dative Case Designates that Something is Addressed or Given to the Object (Person or Thing).
Usually, the Dative case is used after verbs that mean giving something, speaking, and communicating.
Russian | English |
---|---|
ะณะพะฒะพัะธัั | to tell |
ะดะฐะฒะฐัั | to give |
ัะฐะทัะตัะฐัั | to allow |
ะฟะพะผะพะณะฐัั | to help |
ะทะฒะพะฝะธัั | to call, to phone |
ะฟัะธะฝะพัะธัั | to bring |
Here are some examples:
- ะฏ ะธะดั ะบ ะดััะณั. โ I go to the friend.
In this sentence, the action is addressed to the person โะดััะณั – friendโ, thus it has Dative case form. In Nominative case, the word โfriendโ in Russian will be โะดััะณโ.
- ะขั ะดะฐััั ััะพ ะฒัะฐัั. โ You give it to the doctor.
And again, the action is addressed to the object of the sentence โะฒัะฐััโ and it has Dative case formation. In other words – the object of the sentence is the receiver of the action. In Nominative case the word โdoctorโ will be โะฒัะฐัโ.
- ะั ัะฐะทัะตัะฐะตัะต ะดะพะบัะพััโฆ – You allow the doctor toโฆ.
- ะฏ ะทะฒะพะฝั ะผะฐะผะต. โ I call to mother.
2) Dative Case is Used in Impersonal Constructions that Describe Emotional/Physical States and is Used to Indicate the Person Affected by this State.
(Impersonal sentences in Russian are sentences that don’t have a grammatical subject.)
For example:
ะััะณั ะฟะปะพั ะพ. โ Friend feels bad.
As you already know, in Nominative case, the English word โfriendโ will be โะดััะณโ. But because the word โะดััะณโ indicates the person who is affected by an emotional state (bad), the ending of the word has to be changed into the Dative case form, which is โะดััะณัโ.
Or another example:
ะะฐะผะต ัะบััะฝะพ. โ Mother feels bored.
Itโs the same story like we mentioned above, except in this sentence, the Nominative case word โะผะฐะผะฐโ has a different ending. Endings for Dative, both singular and plural, will be shown at the end of the article.
3) Dative Case is Always Used After Certain Prepositions, such as:
Russian | English |
---|---|
ะบ | towards, to |
ะฟะพ | along |
ะฑะปะฐะณะพะดะฐัั | thanks |
ะฒะพะฟัะตะบะธ | in spite of, despite |
ะฝะฐะฒัััะตัั | Towards, to meet |
ะฟะพะดะพะฑะฝะพ | likewise |
ัะพะณะปะฐัะฝะพ | in accordance with |
For example:
ะขั ะธะดััั ะฝะฐะฒัััะตัั ะบ ะดััะณั. โ You go to meet a friend.
Or another one:
ะขั ะถะธะฒััั ะฑะปะฐะณะพะดะฐัั ัะฒะพะตะน ะผะฐะผะต. โ You give thanks to your mother.
Formation of Dative Singular Case Nouns
Gender | Nominative Singular | Remove | Add | Dative | English |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | ะดะพะบัะพั ัะฐะน ะผะฐะผะฐ | — ะน ะฐ | ั ั ะต | ะดะพะบัะพัั ัะฐั ะผะฐะผะต | doctor tea mother |
neuter | ะพะทะตัะพ ะทะดะฐะฝะธะต | ะพ ะต | ั ั | ะพะทะตัะธ ะทะดะฐะฝะธั | lake building |
feminine | ะดะฒะตัั ะผะฐัะธะฝะฐ | ั ะฐ | ะธ ะต | ะดะฒะตัะธ ะผะฐัะธะฝะต | door car |
Formation of Dative Plural Case Nouns
Gender | Nominative Singular | Remove | Add | Dative Plural | English |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | ะดะพะบัะพั ะฑัะฐั ัะฐะน ัะปะพะฒะฐัั | — — ะน ั | ะฐะผ ััะผ ัะผ ัะผ | ะดะพะบัะพัะฐะผ ะฑัะฐัััะผ ัะฐัะผ ัะปะพะฒะฐััะผ | doctor brother tea dictionary |
neuter | ะพะทะตัะพ ะทะดะฐะฝะธะต | ะพ ะต | ะฐะผ ัะผ | ะพะทะตัะฐะผ ะทะดะฐะฝะธัะผ | lake building |
feminine | ะดะฒะตัั ะผะฐัะธะฝะฐ ัะฐะผะธะปะธั | ั — — | ัะผ ะผ ะผ | ะดะฒะตััะผ ะผะฐัะธะฝaะผ ัะฐะผะธะปะธัะผ | door car surname |