Nouns: Dative Case

01

The Indirect Object

With verbs of giving, telling, showing, sending and helping, the receiver goes into the dative while the thing given stays in the accusative:

• Duok man knygą.

  Give me the book. (to me)

• Rašau draugui.

  I am writing to a friend.

• Pasakyk jai tiesą.

  Tell her the truth.

• Padėk broliui.

  Help (your) brother.

02

"For" Someone

The dative also expresses who something is meant for:

• Tai dovana tau.

  This is a gift for you.

• Nupirkau gėlių mamai.

  I bought flowers for mum.

03

Needing, Liking, Feeling

A very characteristic Lithuanian pattern: the person who needs, likes, or feels something is put in the dative, not the nominative. The thing liked or the state itself is the grammatical core:

• Man reikia pagalbos.

  I need help. (literally "to me there-is-need of help")

• Jai patinka muzika.

  She likes music. ("to her music is pleasing")

• Man šalta.

  I am cold. ("to me [it is] cold")

• Mums įdomu.

  We find it interesting.

This pattern is everywhere in everyday speech, so it is worth getting comfortable with early.

04

In Set Phrases

The dative is built into the everyday way of saying thanks, where "thank you" is literally "thanks to you":

• Ačiū tau.

  Thank you. (familiar)

• Ačiū jums.

  Thank you. (polite, or to several people)

05

Telling Your Age

A small but very useful pattern: age is expressed with the person in the dative and the years in the genitive plural - literally "to me … years":

• Man dvidešimt metų.

  I am twenty (years old).

• Kiek tau metų?

  How old are you?

06

The Endings

Singular dative:

• vyras → vyrui, brolis → broliui (masculine, -ui)
• knyga → knygai, gatvė → gatvei (feminine, -ai / -ei)
• sūnus → sūnui, moteris → moteriai

Plural: masculine -ams (vyrams), feminine -oms / -ėms (knygoms, gatvėms), and moterims, sūnums.

• Dovanos vaikams.

  Gifts for the children.

07

Adjectives and Pronouns Agree

An adjective or pronoun describing a dative noun also takes the dative - masculine -am (plural -iems), feminine -ai (plural -oms):

• geram draugui

  to a good friend.

• tai moteriai

  to that woman.

• mažiems vaikams

  to (the) small children.