Nouns: Dative Case — Czech Grammar

The dative marks the person something is given, said, shown or done for - the English indirect object. Czech uses it far more widely than English does, and whole sentence patterns are built on it.

Dal jsem dárek otci.
I gave my father a present.
Čte svému synovi knihu.
She is reading her son a book.

The Endings

Singular

masculine animate: -ovi - ,
masculine inanimate: -u -
feminine: -ě or -i - ,
neuter: -u -

Dal jsem to klukovi.
I gave it to the boy.

Plural

masculine and neuter: -ům - ,
feminine: -ám -

Rozdal dárky dětem.
He handed out presents to the children.

The Indirect Object

Verbs of giving, sending, lending, telling and showing take two objects: the person in the dative and the thing in the accusative. The order between them is free, and the endings keep it clear which is which.

Pošlu ti pohlednici.
I'll send you a postcard.
Můžeš mi ukázat tu fotku?
Can you show me that photo?

Verbs That Take Only a Dative

Some verbs take a dative object and nothing else. In English they look like ordinary transitive verbs, which makes them easy to get wrong.

Nerozumím té větě.
I don't understand that sentence.
Věřím svému bratrovi.
I believe my brother.

After Prepositions

Only a few prepositions govern the dative, and they concern movement towards a person or a place.

- to, towards
- against, opposite
- thanks to

Jdu k doktorovi.
I'm going to the doctor.
K narozeninám dostala kolo.
She got a bike for her birthday.

The Pronouns

The dative pronouns are among the commonest words in the language, and the short forms are what you will hear.

, , , , , ,

Řekni mi to.
Tell me.
Dám vám aspirin.
I'll give you an aspirin.

Whose Body It Is

Czech marks the owner of a body part with a dative rather than a possessive. Saying my hand would be redundant, since the dative has already said whose hand was affected.

Umyj si ruce.
Wash your hands.
Zlomil jsem si ruku.
I broke my arm.

Age

Czech does not say a person is a number of years. It says the years are to them, putting the person into the dative.

Je mi osmnáct let.
I'm eighteen.
Kolik je tvé sestře?
How old is your sister?

The Person Concerned

The dative also names whoever an event happens to or matters to, in sentences that have no proper subject at all. Age, feelings and states of the body all use this frame.

Je mi zima.
I'm cold.
Mojí dceři je dvacet let.
My daughter is twenty.

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