Czech Case: Dative

In this article, we'll explore why we need the dative case in Czech, when to use it, and how to form it, with practical examples and a handy table of endings.

In Czech grammar, the dative case (3rd case) shows who or what receives the effect of an action.
It is somewhat like the indirect object in English.

Read on to find out more about the dative case in Czech, and how to use it!

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Why Dative?

The dative case in Czech helps us indicate the person or thing affected by an action.

For instance, in the sentence "I gave a gift to my friend", the word to shows that my friend is the recipient of the gift.

In Czech, dative case would be used to show who is receiving the gift.

Before we get to examples, let's remember what the subject and object are, in a sentence.
The subject is the person or the thing performing the action (is the main "doer" or "actor").
The object is the "receiver" of the action. It's the person, thing, or entity that is affected by what the subject is doing.

In English, we have two types of objects: indirect and direct.
The direct object is used with certain verbs, such as "to sell" or "to break". It's the thing that is directly affected by the verb.
The direct object usually takes the accusative case in Czech.

But of course, we can have more complicated sentences than this!
Sometimes we do things that deal with more than one noun: "I cooked a meal for her", for instance.
The indirect object is the person or the thing receiving an effect (in this example, "her").
The indirect object usually takes the dative case in Czech.

Here are some examples of dative case:

• Dávám dárek sestře - I am giving a gift to my sister
• Kupuji květiny mamince - I am buying flowers for mom
• Čtu knihu synovi - I am reading a book to my son
• Posílám dopis babičce - I am sending grandma a letter

In all of these sentences, "I" am the one doing the action, so "I" am the subject of those sentences.

The direct objects are the things that the subject is using directly: a gift, flowers, a book, a letter.

The indirect objects are the people that are affected by the action: sister, mother, son, grandma.

Dative with Verbs

There are some verbs that, if used with a noun, this noun must take dative case. For example:

• Důvěřovat: Důvěřuji zdroji - I trust the source
• Pomáhat: Pomáhám babičce - I am helping the grandmother
• Věřit: Věřím Petře - I believe Petra
• Děkovat: Děkuji Vám - I thank you
• Přikazovat: Přikazuji vám, abyste to udělali. - I command you (pl.) to do it
• Hrozit/vyhrožovat: Davidovi hrozí nebezpečí - David is in danger (Literal: Danger threatens David)
• Slibovat: Slibuji učiteli, že to udělám - I promise the teacher that I will do it
• Přísahat: “Přísahám Bohu - I swear to God

In the sentence "Davidovi hrozí nebezpečí", you can get a taste for a big difference between Czech grammar and English grammar.

You can easily say instead, "Nebezpečí hrozí Davidovi" - it means the same thing! Both are grammatically correct and will be understood.

The difference is in the emphasis:

• Davidovi hrozí nebezpečí - David is in danger (not some other person)
• Nebezpečí hrozí Davidovi - Danger threatens David (not something else)

English doesn't use cases very much, so to make it clear what the meaning is, you have to put the words in a particular order.

Paul is threatening Mark does not mean the same thing as Mark is threatening Paul.

However, in Czech, Pavel vyhrožuje Markovi and Markovi vzhrožuje Pavel means the exact same thing: Paul is threatening Mark! And we know this because "Markovi" is "Mark" in dative case. Mark is being affected by what Paul is doing.

This is why cases are so important in Czech, and why you can really confuse people if you use the wrong ones, or don't use them at all!

Here are a few more verbs which take dative case:

• Radit (to advise)
• Posílat (to send)
• Telefonovat (to call)
• Objednat se k (to make an appointment at)

Dative - Other Uses

Where else do Czechs use dative? Here is the full list:

• Indicating the recipient of an action (the one we've just explained)
• Expressing the person for whom something is intended or beneficial
• Following these prepositions:
  • k (to)
  • pro (for)
  • proti (against)
  • naproti (in front of)
  • oproti (opposite of)
  • díky (thanks to)
  • kvůli (because of)
  • vůči (in the face of)

You are lucky here - all of these preopsitions are only used with dative case :)

How to Form Dative Case

As you've seen, "forming the dative case" means changing the endings of nouns, adjectives, and pronouns.

We always advise you to forget the tables, and just practice using the case! Once you get used to it you won't even have to think about it.

You can practice the dative case here!

But if you still want it, here's a simplified table of dative noun endings:

Noun ending (nominative)	Noun ending (dative)	Example
Masculine animate (hard ending)	-ovi	doktor - doktorovi
Masculine animate (soft ending)	-i	muž - muži
Masculine inanimate	-u	hrad - hradu strom - stromu
Feminine (ends with -a)	-ě	vinárna - vinárně
Feminine (ends with -e)	-e	moře - moři
Feminine (consonant ending)	-i	kolej - koleji mistnost - mistnosti
Neuter (ends with -e)	-e	moře - moře
Neuter (ends with -o)	-u	auto - autu
Neuter (ends with -í)	-í	nádraží - nádraží

Czech would't be Czech if there weren't exceptions to the rule...

Here are some feminine exceptions:

Noun ending (nominative)	Noun ending (dative)	Example
Feminine (ends with -ka)	-ce	doktorka - doktorce
Feminine (ends with -ra)	-ře	hra - hře
Feminine (ends with -cha)	-še	plocha - ploše
Feminine (ends with -ga or -ha)	-ze	Praha - Praze synagoga - synagoze

And some neuter exceptions:

Noun ending (nominative)	Noun ending (dative)	Example
Neuter (ends with -ro)	-ru	vedro - vedru
Neuter (ends with -ko)	-ku	dětsko - dětsku Česko - Česku

In conclusion, mastering dative case in Czech is crucial for clear and accurate communication.

By understanding why and when to use it, along with the simple rules for forming it, you'll be well on your way to speaking Czech with confidence.

So go ahead, practice, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Happy learning!!

Practice what you learned in this article for free: