Definition

Noun (Grammar): The grammatical case that marks a noun or pronoun as the indirect object of a verb. It typically indicates the recipient or beneficiary of an action.

Usage

The dative case is used to identify the noun that is the indirect object—the entity to whom or for whom an action is performed. * In the sentence "She gave him a book," the word "him" is in the dative case, indicating the recipient of the book. * In some languages, like German or Latin, the dative case has specific endings. For example, in German, "dem Mann" (to the man) uses the dative form of the definite article and noun.

Advanced Usage

• Dative of Interest: In some languages, the dative case can be used to show a person who has a general interest in or is affected by the action, even if they are not a direct participant. This is sometimes called the "ethical dative."
• Dative with Certain Prepositions: In languages with case systems, specific prepositions govern the dative case. For instance, in German, prepositions like (with), (after, to), and (from, of) require the dative case.

Variants and Related Words

• Dative (Adjective): Pertaining to or being the dative case.
  • Example: The word "ihm" is the dative form of the German pronoun "er."
• Indirect Object: The grammatical function typically fulfilled by a noun in the dative case.

Synonyms

• Indirect object case

Notes

• In modern English, the dative case is not morphologically distinct for most nouns. Its function is typically shown by word order (placing the indirect object before the direct object) or by using the prepositions "to" or "for." For example, "I gave the book to my friend" uses a prepositional phrase to express the dative relationship.
• English pronouns retain a vestige of the dative case in forms like me, him, her, us, them, which are used for both direct and indirect objects (e.g., "She saw me" [direct object] and "She gave me a gift" [indirect object]).

Noun

1. the category of nouns serving as the indirect object of a verb