Pronouns: Dative Case

01

Forms of Dative Pronouns

Here is how the personal pronouns change when used in the dative case:

• मैं (ma͠imain) becomes मुझे (mujhe) - to me
• तुम (tum) becomes तुम्हें (tumhẽ) - to you (informal)
• आप (āpap) becomes आपको (āpkoapko) - to you (formal)
• यह (yah) becomes इसे (ise) - to him/her/it (proximate)
• वह (vahwah) becomes उसे (use) - to him/her/it (distant)
• हम (ham) becomes हमें (hamẽ) - to us
• ये (ye) becomes इन्हें (inhẽ) - to them/these
• वे (vewe) becomes उन्हें (unhẽ) - to them/those

Note that for the third person (यह (yah), वह (vahwah), ये (ye), वे (vewe)), there are alternative forms ending in -ko (like उसको (usko) or उनको (unko)), but the forms listed above (उसे (use), उन्हें (unhẽ)) are preferred in standard usage.

02

Usage 1: The Indirect Object

The most direct use of the dative case is to indicate "to whom" an action is directed. This often occurs with verbs like "to give," "to tell," or "to send."

• मैं तुम्हें पैसे देता हूँ।

  ma͠i tumhẽ paise detā hū̃.main tumhẽ paise deta hun.

  I give you money.

• उसने मुझे सब कुछ बताया।

  usne mujhe sab kuch batāyā.usne mujhe sab kuchh bataya.

  He told me everything.

• क्या आप हमें एक कहानी सुना सकते हैं?

  kyā āp hamẽ ek kahānī sunā sakte ha͠i?kya ap hamẽ ek kahani suna sakte hain?

  Can you tell us a story?

03

Usage 2: Expressing Needs and Wants

In Hindi, you do not say "I need a book." Instead, the structure is "To me, a book is needed." The person needing the item takes the dative case, and the item needed becomes the grammatical subject. This uses the word चाहिए (cāhiechahie).

• मुझे पानी चाहिए।

  mujhe pānī cāhie.mujhe pani chahie.

  I need water. (Lit: To me water is needed.)

• उन्हें मदद चाहिए।

  unhẽ madad cāhie.unhẽ madad chahie.

  They need help.

• हमें कुछ नहीं चाहिए।

  hamẽ kuch nahī̃ cāhie.hamẽ kuchh nahin chahie.

  We do not need anything.

04

Usage 3: Expressing Likes पसंद (pasand)

Similarly, to say you like something, Hindi uses the construction "To me, [X] is pleasing." The word for "pleasing" or "liked" is पसंद (pasand).

• मुझे यह घर पसंद है।

  mujhe yah ghar pasand hai.

  I like this house.

• क्या आपको भारतीय खाना पसंद है?

  kyā āpko bhāratīya khānā pasand hai?kya apko bharatiya khana pasand hai?

  Do you like Indian food?

• उसे क्रिकेट पसंद नहीं है।

  use krikeṭ pasand nahī̃ hai.use krikeṭ pasand nahin hai.

  He does not like cricket.

05

Usage 4: Physical Sensations and Feelings

The dative case is used to describe physical states or feelings that happen to a person, such as feeling cold, having a fever, or knowing something.

• मुझे ठंड लग रही है।

  mujhe ṭhaṇḍ lag rahī hai.mujhe ṭhanḍ lag rahi hai.

  I am feeling cold.

• उसे बुखार है।

  use bukhār hai.use bukhar hai.

  He has a fever.

• क्या तुम्हें पता है?

  kyā tumhẽ patā hai.kya tumhẽ pata hai.

  Do you know? (Lit: Is it known to you?)

06

Usage 5: Compulsion (Have to)

To express that someone "has to" do something, use the dative pronoun followed by the verb in the infinitive form and the auxiliary verb है (hai).

• मुझे जाना है।

  mujhe jānā hai.mujhe jana hai.

  I have to go.

• तुम्हें यहाँ इंतज़ार करना है।

  tumhẽ yahā̃ intzār karnā hai.tumhẽ yahan intzar karna hai.

  You have to wait here.