A2 · Élémentaire Chapitre 24

Genitive and Dative

4 Règles totales
32 exemples
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of possession and indirect action to sound like a native Romanian speaker.

  • Identify Genitive and Dative markers in nouns.
  • Construct possession using Genitive articles.
  • Connect indirect objects using the Dative case.
Unlock ownership and relationships in every sentence.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Expressing possession and indirect targets. Using the Genitive case with articles.

  • Genitive Case
    The Genitive case marks the owner by changing noun endings and using articles that agree with the owned item.
  • Dative Case
    Use Dative to identify who receives an action, a gift, or information by changing the noun's ending.
  • Possession with Genitive
    Show possession by changing the owner's ending and matching a possessive article to the item being owned.
  • Indirect Objects with Dative
    Use the Dative case to identify who receives an action, typically using -ului, -ei, or -lor endings.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: correctly identify and use the Genitive and Dative cases in basic conversational sentences.

Exemples clés (8)

1

Acesta este telefonul fratelui meu.

This is my brother's phone.

Genitive Case
2

Culoarea mașinii este roșie.

The color of the car is red.

Genitive Case
3

I-am dat profesorului tema.

I gave the teacher the homework.

Dative Case
4

Îi spun mamei adevărul.

I am telling mom the truth.

Dative Case
5

Acesta este computerul profesorului.

This is the professor's computer.

Possession with Genitive
6

Rochia fetei este roșie.

The girl's dress is red.

Possession with Genitive
7

Îi dau o cafea colegului meu.

I give a coffee to my colleague.

Indirect Objects with Dative
8

Îi spun mamei totul.

I tell my mother everything.

Indirect Objects with Dative

Conseils et astuces (4)

🎯

The Dative Shortcut

If you ever get stuck, remember that Genitive and Dative endings are identical. If you know how to say 'to the girl' (fetei), you already know how to say 'of the girl' (fetei)!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Genitive Case
💡

The Feminine Cheat Code

If you struggle with feminine Dative, just remember: it's almost always the same as the Genitive. If you can say 'the girl's book', you can say 'to the girl'!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dative Case
💡

The Plural Trick

To find the feminine Genitive, just think of the plural form and add an 'i'. For example, 'fată' -> 'fete' -> 'fetei'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Possession with Genitive
💡

The 'Double' Rule

Always include the short pronoun (îmi, îți, îi...) even if you name the person. Think of it as a 'preview' for the listener.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indirect Objects with Dative

Vocabulaire clé (5)

a of (genitive marker) prieten friend carte book a da to give copil child

Real-World Preview

book-open

Borrowing a Book

Review Summary

  • Noun + -lui/-ei
  • Noun + -lui/-ei

Erreurs courantes

Avoid using 'la' for indirect objects. Use the Dative case ending instead.

Wrong: Dau cadoul la prieten.
Correct: Îi dau cadoul prietenului.

Possession is expressed with the Genitive, not the preposition 'de'.

Wrong: Cartea de Ion.
Correct: Cartea lui Ion.

Ensure the article agrees with the noun gender. Use 'a' if needed, but 'al' is for masculine.

Wrong: Casa al Mariei.
Correct: Casa Mariei.

Next Steps

You are doing amazing! The foundation of your Romanian is stronger than ever. Keep going!

Read a short story and underline all Genitive/Dative nouns.

Continue to: Modal Verbs Mastery

Pratique rapide (10)

Complete the sentence with the correct possessive article.

Aceștia sunt pantofii ___ bunicului.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ai
The possessive article must agree with 'pantofii' (masculine plural), so we use 'ai'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Genitive Case

Choose the correct Genitive form for 'the student' (masculine).

Cartea ___ este pe masă.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: studentului
Masculine singular nouns take the -ului ending in the Genitive case.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Possession with Genitive

Which plural Dative ending is correct for 'copii' (children)?

Le oferim dulciuri ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: copiilor
All plural nouns use the '-lor' ending in the Dative case.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indirect Objects with Dative

Select the correct plural Genitive ending for 'women'.

Gențile ___ sunt scumpe.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: femeilor
For plural nouns in the Genitive case, we use the ending '-lor'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Genitive Case

Complete the sentence with the correct form of 'Elena'.

Telefonul ___ este nou.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Elenei
Feminine names ending in -a change to -ei in the Genitive case.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Possession with Genitive

Complete the sentence with the correct Dative form of the noun in brackets.

I-am trimis o scrisoare ___ (prieten).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: prietenului
Since 'prieten' is masculine singular, we add the suffix '-lui' to form the Dative.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Dative Case

Select the correct possessive article for 'the flowers' (feminine plural).

Acestea sunt florile ___ fetei.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ale
The article 'ale' is used when the object owned is feminine plural.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Possession with Genitive

Complete the sentence with the correct feminine Dative form of 'prietenă' (friend).

Îi trimit un pachet ___ mele.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: prietenei
Feminine singular nouns take the '-ei' ending in the Dative case.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indirect Objects with Dative

Choose the correct Genitive form for 'the teacher' (masculine singular).

Cartea ___ este pe catedră.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: profesorului
To show possession for a masculine singular noun, we add the suffix '-lui' to the definite form.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Genitive Case

Choose the correct Dative form for the masculine noun 'profesor' (teacher).

Îi dau lucrarea ___. (to the teacher)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: profesorului
Masculine singular nouns take the '-ului' ending in the Dative case.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indirect Objects with Dative

Score: /10

Questions fréquentes (6)

The Genitive case is used to show possession or belonging. It tells you who the owner of an object is, like câinele bărbatului (the man's dog).
You use the question words al cui?, a cui?, ai cui?, or ale cui?. They change based on the gender and number of the object you are asking about.
It is the case used for the indirect object. It shows who is receiving something, like in Îi dau Mariei un cadou (I give Maria a gift).
You use the word Cui?. For example, Cui îi dai scrisoarea? (To whom are you giving the letter?)
It is the grammatical case used to show ownership or belonging. It answers the question Cui? (Whose?) and connects an owner to an object.
Usually no, you use possessive adjectives like meu or tău. Genitive is specifically for nouns, like profesorului (the professor's).
Chapitre précédent
The Case System Intro
Chapitre suivant
Modal Verbs Mastery
Retour à la feuille de route