Pronouns: Dative Case

01

Forms of Dative Pronouns

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

• मैं (maiṃ) becomes मुझे (mujhe) - to me
• तुम (tum) becomes तुम्हें (tumheṃ) - 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 (hameṃ) - to us
• ये (ye) becomes इन्हें (inheṃ) - to them/these
• वे (vewe) becomes उन्हें (unheṃ) - 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 (unheṃ)) 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।

  maiṃ tumheṃ paise detā hūṃ.maiṃ tumheṃ paise deta huṃ.

  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 hameṃ ek kahānī sunā sakte haiṃ?kya ap hameṃ ek kahani suna sakte haiṃ?

  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।

  unheṃ madad cāhie.unheṃ madad chahie.

  They need help.

• हमें कुछ नहीं चाहिए।

  hameṃ kuch nahīṃ cāhie.hameṃ kuchh nahiṃ 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 nahīṃ hai.use krikeṭ pasand nahiṃ 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 ṭhaṃḍ lag rahī hai.mujhe ṭhaṃḍ 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 tumheṃ patā hai.kya tumheṃ 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।

  tumheṃ yahāṃ iṃtazār karnā hai.tumheṃ yahaṃ iṃtazar karna hai.

  You have to wait here.