A2 Case System 1 min read Médio

Dative Endings for Nouns (All Genders)

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Pratique

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The Dative case indicates the indirect object, usually answering 'to whom' or 'for whom' something is given or done.

  • Masculine/Neuter nouns add -u: 'Prijatelj' (friend) becomes 'Prijatelju'.
  • Feminine nouns add -i: 'Mama' (mom) becomes 'Mami'.
  • Plural nouns for all genders end in -ima: 'Prijateljima' (to friends).
Subject + Verb + Indirect Object (Dative) + Direct Object (Accusative)

Dative Case Endings

Gender Singular Ending Plural Ending
Masculine
-u
-ima
Neuter
-u
-ima
Feminine
-i
-ima

Dative Pronouns (Short Forms)

Person Pronoun
I
mi
You (sg)
ti
He/It
mu
She
joj
We
nam
You (pl)
vam
They
im

Meanings

The Dative case marks the recipient of an action or the person/thing for whose benefit an action is performed.

1

Indirect Recipient

The person receiving an object.

“Šaljem pismo baki.”

“Kupujem poklon djetetu.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Dative Endings for Nouns (All Genders)
Type Structure Example
Affirmative
Subj + Verb + Dative
Dajem mami cvijeće.
Negative
Subj + ne + Verb + Dative
Ne dajem mami cvijeće.
Question
Verb + li + Dative?
Daješ li mami cvijeće?
Short Answer
Da/Ne + Dative
Da, dajem joj.
Plural
Subj + Verb + Dative (pl)
Dajem prijateljima poklon.
Pronoun
Subj + Verb + Short Dative
Dajem joj poklon.

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Molim Vas, dajte mi knjigu.

Molim Vas, dajte mi knjigu. (Requesting an item)

Neutro
Dajte mi knjigu.

Dajte mi knjigu. (Requesting an item)

Informal
Daj mi knjigu.

Daj mi knjigu. (Requesting an item)

Gíria
Daj vamo tu knjigu.

Daj vamo tu knjigu. (Requesting an item)

Dative Case Map

Dativ

Singular

  • -u M/N
  • -i F

Plural

  • -ima All Genders

Dative vs Accusative

Dative (Recipient)
Prijatelju To the friend
Accusative (Object)
Knjigu The book

Dative Decision Tree

1

Is it a recipient?

YES
Use Dative
NO
Check other cases

Common Dative Verbs

💬

Communication

  • • reći (tell)
  • • pisati (write)
  • • javiti (contact)
🎁

Giving

  • • dati (give)
  • • poslati (send)
  • • pokloniti (gift)
Cadastre-se grátis para ler a explicação completa

Exemplos por nível

1

Dajem jabuku mami.

I am giving an apple to mom.

2

Šaljem pismo tati.

I am sending a letter to dad.

3

Kupujem cvijeće ženi.

I am buying flowers for the woman.

4

Pišem poruku prijatelju.

I am writing a message to a friend.

1

Pomažem djetetu s domaćom zadaćom.

I am helping the child with homework.

2

Vjerujem tom čovjeku.

I believe that man.

3

Govorim istinu prijateljima.

I am telling the truth to the friends.

4

Dajem ključeve susjedima.

I am giving the keys to the neighbors.

1

Zahvaljujem profesoru na pomoći.

I thank the professor for the help.

2

Sviđa mi se ovaj auto.

I like this car (lit: To me, this car is pleasing).

3

Moram se javiti doktoru.

I must contact the doctor.

4

Čestitam pobjednicima.

I congratulate the winners.

1

Približavamo se gradu.

We are approaching the city.

2

Dopustite mi da objasnim.

Allow me to explain.

3

Protivim se toj odluci.

I oppose that decision.

4

Posvetio je život umjetnosti.

He dedicated his life to art.

1

Sve je to po volji narodu.

It is all according to the people's will.

2

Nije mi do šale.

I am not in the mood for jokes.

3

Pristupio je poslu s entuzijazmom.

He approached the work with enthusiasm.

4

Podredio je sve cilju.

He subordinated everything to the goal.

1

Bogom dano talentu.

God-given to the talent.

2

Daj mi mira.

Give me peace.

3

Sve se to čini čudnom djetetu.

All that seems strange to the child.

4

Nije dorastao zadatku.

He is not up to the task.

Fácil de confundir

Dative Endings for Nouns (All Genders) vs Dative vs Locative

Both singular endings are often identical (-u).

Dative Endings for Nouns (All Genders) vs Dative vs Accusative

Both mark objects in a sentence.

Dative Endings for Nouns (All Genders) vs Short vs Long Pronouns

When to use 'mi' vs 'meni'.

Erros comuns

✗

Dajem knjiga mami.

✓

Dajem knjigu mami.

Accusative is needed for the book.
✗

Dajem poklon mama.

✓

Dajem poklon mami.

Missing Dative ending.
✗

Dajem poklon prijatelji.

✓

Dajem poklon prijatelju.

Wrong gender ending.
✗

Dajem poklonima.

✓

Dajem poklon prijateljima.

Confusing object with recipient.
✗

Pomažem prijatelj.

✓

Pomažem prijatelju.

Verb 'pomažem' requires Dative.
✗

Šaljem pismo prijatelji.

✓

Šaljem pismo prijatelju.

Incorrect ending for masculine.
✗

Dajem jabuke djeci.

✓

Dajem jabuke djetetu.

Singular vs Plural confusion.
✗

Vjerujem on.

✓

Vjerujem njemu.

Pronoun must be in Dative.
✗

Zahvaljujem profesor.

✓

Zahvaljujem profesoru.

Dative required after 'zahvaliti'.
✗

Sviđa mi se knjiga.

✓

Sviđa mi se knjiga.

Correct, but often confused with 'Ja sviđam knjigu'.
✗

Pristupio sam zadatak.

✓

Pristupio sam zadatku.

Verb requires Dative.
✗

Nije mi do šala.

✓

Nije mi do šale.

Genitive required after 'do'.
✗

Podredio je sve cilj.

✓

Podredio je sve cilju.

Dative required.

Padrões de frases

Dajem ___ (noun) ___ (recipient).

Pomažem ___ (recipient).

Šaljem poruku ___ (recipient).

Vjerujem ___ (recipient).

Real World Usage

Cafe constant

Dajte mi kavu.

Texting very common

Šaljem ti sliku.

Work common

Poslao sam izvještaj direktoru.

Travel occasional

Približavamo se gradu.

Social Media common

Čestitam pobjedniku!

Food Delivery common

Dostavite hranu susjedu.

Cadastre-se grátis para ver todos os exemplos
💡

Check the gender

Always identify the gender of the noun first. It dictates the ending.
⚠️

Don't confuse cases

Dative is for recipients. Don't use it for locations!
🎯

Plural is easy

When in doubt for plural, use -ima. It works for everything.
💬

Be polite

Use the Dative with 'molim' to sound like a local.

Smart Tips

Think 'Recipient = Dative'.

Dajem poklon prijatelj. → Dajem poklon prijatelju.

Immediately look for the recipient.

Šaljem pismo mama. → Šaljem pismo mami.

Just add -ima.

Dajem poklon prijatelji. → Dajem poklon prijateljima.

Remember 'pomoći' needs Dative.

Pomažem prijatelj. → Pomažem prijatelju.

Pronúncia

dati (short a)

Vowel length

Dative endings are usually short.

Declarative

Dajem mami cvijeće. ↘

Falling intonation at the end.

Memorize

Mnemônico

Dative is for the 'D'estination of the gift.

Associação visual

Imagine a person standing with their hands out (the Dative recipient) waiting to catch a ball thrown by the subject.

Rhyme

For the friend, add a 'u', for the lady, add an 'i', for the group, 'ima' is the key!

Story

Marko wants to give a gift. He walks to his friend (prijatelju). He walks to his mom (mami). He walks to his friends (prijateljima).

Word Web

datipomoćirećiposlativjerovatipokloniti

Desafio

Write 3 sentences today using the Dative case for people you interact with.

Notas culturais

Croatians value politeness. Using the Dative correctly with 'molim' (please) is key.

In coastal dialects, you might hear more frequent use of short pronoun forms.

Standard Dative is used, but speech is often slower and more melodic.

The Dative case descends from Proto-Indo-European, marking the indirect object.

Iniciadores de conversa

“

Kome šalješ poruku?

“

Kome pomažeš danas?

“

Vjeruješ li toj osobi?

“

Kome si zahvalan?

Temas para diário

Write about a gift you gave recently.
Describe how you help your friends.
Write a thank you note to a teacher.
Discuss a time you had to trust someone.

Erros comuns

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct Dative ending.

Dajem poklon m___ (mama).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Feminine nouns end in -i.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Masculine nouns end in -u.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Pomažem prijatelj.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Verb requires Dative.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

mami / dajem / cvijeće

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: d
Croatian word order is flexible.
Convert to Dative plural. Conjugation Drill

Prijatelj -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Plural is -ima.
Match the verb to the case. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Dati takes Dative.
Select the correct pronoun. Múltipla escolha

Šaljem ___ (to him) pismo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Mu is the Dative for him.
Fill in the correct form.

Zahvaljujem ___ (profesor).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Zahvaliti takes Dative.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the correct Dative ending.

Dajem poklon m___ (mama).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Feminine nouns end in -i.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Masculine nouns end in -u.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Pomažem prijatelj.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Verb requires Dative.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

mami / dajem / cvijeće

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: d
Croatian word order is flexible.
Convert to Dative plural. Conjugation Drill

Prijatelj -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Plural is -ima.
Match the verb to the case. Match Pairs

Dati -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Dati takes Dative.
Select the correct pronoun. Múltipla escolha

Šaljem ___ (to him) pismo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Mu is the Dative for him.
Fill in the correct form.

Zahvaljujem ___ (profesor).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Zahvaliti takes Dative.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

Croatian uses cases to show the role of the word in the sentence.

No, use Locative for places. Dative is for people/recipients.

Add -u for masculine/neuter.

Verbs of giving, sending, and helping usually do.

No, it is always -ima.

No, it will sound incorrect to native speakers.

Some nouns have irregular stems, but the endings are usually consistent.

Try to identify recipients in your daily conversations.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Cadastre-se grátis para praticar

In Other Languages

German high

Dativ

German uses articles; Croatian changes the noun.

French low

Complément d'objet indirect

French uses prepositions; Croatian uses case endings.

Spanish low

Objeto indirecto

Spanish relies on pronouns and prepositions.

Japanese moderate

Ni particle

Japanese uses a post-positional particle.

Arabic low

Majrur

Arabic is preposition-based.

Chinese none

Prepositional phrases

Chinese has no case system.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Dative Case for Indirect Objects (Komu? Čemu?)
Next
Dative Adjective Agreement

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Accusative Endings for Masculine Animate Nouns
A1

Accusative Case for Direct Objects (Koga? Što?)
A1

Nominative Case for Nouns (Nomen)
A1

Accusative Endings for Neuter Nouns
A1

Genitive Endings for Neuter Nouns
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