aVLCJ0383 Czech Language for Foreigners III
Dative: how and when to use it
also in textbook, p. 125
Cases in czech language
on the way to dative
Case Basic function Example
1. nominative basic case = subject Martin Punčochář, univerzita, já
2. genitive
after verbs; after prepositions, of-
function
Martina Punčocháře, univerzity, mě
3. dative
indirect object (2nd object),
after prepositions
Martinu Punčochářovi, univerzitě, mi
4. accusative
direct object (after verbs),after
prepositions
Martina Punčocháře, univerzitu, mě
5. vocative calling people by name Martine Punčocháři, univerzito
6. locative expressing location o Martinu Punčochářovi, na univerzitě, o mně
7. instrumental expressing „with“
s Martinem Punčochářem, univerzitou, se
mnou
Dative: after verbs
▪ some verbs simply require dative, just like some other (most) verbs require
accusative
▪ here are the verbs (also in the textbook, p. 126)
• děkovat/poděkovat to thank
• omlouvat se/omluvit se to apologize
• pomáhat/pomoct to help
• radit/poradit to advise
• rozumět/porozumět to understand
• smát se/zasmát se to laugh
• telefonovat/zatelefonovat to phone someone
• volat/zavolat to call someone
These verbs take dative only. See next slide.
Dative: after verbs in combination with accusative
▪ Some verbs can take two object at the same time.
▪ One of them is in accusative, the other one (so called 2nd object) in dative.
▪ How does this work?
Dative: 2nd object
This works with verbs that express the interaction between 2 people
a) when something is being transmitted/transfered from person 1 to person 2
b) when person 1 is doing something that directly involves person 2 and its
belongings
Two people + transmission/transfer I.
Two people + transmission/transfer II. (grammar)
Person 1: subject of a sentence → nominative case
Gift (what is transmitted/transfered): 1st object of a sentence → accusative case
Person 2: 2nd object of a sentence → dative case
Somehow
someone (person 1 = nominative)
transmits/transfers (arrow = verb)
something (gift = accusative)
to someone else (person 2 = dative)
Two people + transmission/transfer III. (verbs)
▪ P1 = Petr, David, Anna, Marie, učitelka → nominative
▪ P2 = Martin, Lukáš, Hana, Julie, student → dative
▪ „Gift“: káva, pivo, email, informace, gramatika → accusative
dávat/dát to give
kupovat/koupit to buy
posílat/poslat to send
říkat/říct to say
vysvětlovat/vysvětlit to explain
These verbs can be found also in the textbook, p. 126.
Two people + transmission/transfer IV. (examples)
PERSON 1 VERB PERSON 2 GIFT
nominative in past dative accusative
in present
in future
in infinitiv
Petr dal Martinovi kávu.
David kupuje Lukášovi pivo.
Marie pošle Haně email.
Anna chce říct Julii informace.
Učitelka vysvětlila studentovi gramatiku.
Two people: one doing something to the other one (in medicine)
Doctor/nurse — patient interaction in dative I. (explanation)
Doctor/nurse: subject of a sentence → nominative case
Gift (what is the object of the activity): 1st object of a sentence → accusative case
Patient: 2nd object of a sentence → dative case
Somehow
doctor/nurse (= nominative)
is doing something (= verb)
with something (object of examination/procedure = accusative)
while patient is involved (= dative)
Doctor/nurse — patient interaction in dative II. (examples)
▪ You could see dative at work in nursing activities.
▪ Many nursing verbs use dative.
▪ Patient is always in dative (something is happening to him/her).
▪ Doctor/nurse is in nominative.
Doctor/nurse — patient interaction in dative III. (examples)
DOCTOR VERB PATIENT OBJECT OF
EXAMINATION/PROCEDURE
nominative in past dative accusative
in present
in future
in infinitiv
Doktor vzal pacientovi krev.
Lékař natočí pacientce EKG.
Sestra bude čistit Lukášovi zuby.
Student chce umýt staré paní vlasy.
Studentka píchnula panu Novákovi injekci.
Dative in medicine I.
▪ Dative appears (not only) in medicine a lot.
▪ Many symptoms phrases include dative.
▪ Anywhere you see mi or vám in a phrase, you actually see dative.
Motá se mi hlava. My head is spinning (lit. Head is spinning to me.)
Buší mi srdce. My heart is pounding (lit. Heart is pounding to me.)
Je vám dobře? Do you feel good? (lit. Is it good to you?)
— Ne, je mi špatně. No, I feel bad. (lit. It is bad to me)
Kolik je vám let? How old are you? (lit. How many years is to you?)
— Je mi 41 let. I am 41 yo. (lit. It is 41 years to me.)
Dative in medicine II.
▪ All this simply means something is happening to the patient.
▪ When patient/doctor speaks, personal pronouns are used (mi/vám) because
they speak in me/you dialogue.
▪ But when you speak about someone, you can/should use his/her name or any
noun.
▪ This stays in dative, just like the personal pronoun.
Dative in medicine III. (examples)
Lukáš says:
▪ Je mi špatně.
▪ Motá se mi hlava.
▪ Buší mi srdce.
Doctor says (about Lukáš).
▪ Lukášovi je špatně.
▪ Lukášovi se motá hlava.
▪ Lukášovi buší srdce.
How to recognize that dative should be used (summary)
▪ With one of the verbs (textbook, p. 126)
▪ Where mi/vám is used in medical phrase.
▪ Dative is always (in this context) about a person that is being affected by
someone‘s action/s.
▪ Never about the body part or any external object.
Dative forms
▪ Only masculines animates and feminines forms will be presented here.
▪ Dative is typically used with people, neutres and masculine inanimates
(things, places etc.) are used after prepositions (you will learn these later).
Masculines: names (all: hard + soft ending)
Martin → Martinovi. Lukáš → Lukášovi.
Telefonuju: Lukášovi, Martinovi, Petrovi, Davidovi.
Věřím: Janovi, Tomášovi, Pavlovi. +OVI
Masculines: nouns (hard ones)
doktor → doktorovi, profesor → profesorovi.
Děkuju: manažerovi, asistentovi, kamarádovi.
Omlouvám se: kolegovi, bratrovi. +OVI
Masculines: nouns (soft ones)
▪ The ones that end with: ž, š, č, ř, ď, ť, ň; c, j + TEL
lékař → lékaři, hasič → hasiči.
Píšu email: učiteli, příteli.
Nerozumím: otci, bratranci.
+I
Masculines: nouns (noun + noun)
▪ Typically: first name + last name, Mr + last name,
profession + last name
Děkuju: doktoru Novákovi, Martinu Punčochářovi.
Nerozumím: Lukáši Čechovi, Ondřeji Máchalovi.
+U/I*
+OVI
*
Hard ending: + U
Soft ending: + I
Feminines: A-ending ones
▪ These endings are just like the locative ones.
Telefonuju: Ivaně, Evě, Jarmile, Zuzaně
A→Ě
Feminines: A-ending ones
▪ And just like the locative ones, there are
some harder changes.
Telefonuju: kamarádce (< kamarádka),
doktorce (< doktorka), Kláře (< Klára),
Báře (< Bára)
KA→CE
RA→ŘE
Feminines: A-ending ones (less frequent changes)
There are not many names/nouns refering to
people ending like these.
But many things, places and body parts end
like these and are often used after
prepositions. We will get back to it later.
HA→ZE
GA→ZE
GA→ZE
CHA→ŠE
All the forms
▪ All forms incl. adjectives can be found on IS here:
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/med/podzim2022/aVLCJ0383/130765403/singular_d
ative.xlsx
Feminines: E-ending ones
Telefonuju: Marii (< Marie), Julii (< Julie).
E→I