ABSTRACT

The dative case is one of the six Russian cases. In a sentence or phrase, the dative case has several roles. It can be used with or without a preposition. This chapter provides a summary of noun endings in the dative case and explains its grammatical roles. In a sentence, a noun or pronoun in the dative case indicates an indirect object, ‘an addressee’ or ‘a recipient’, to whom an action is directed. In a sentence, a noun/pronoun in the dative case frequently accompanies a noun in the accusative case that indicates a direct object. A few short- and long-form adjectives require a noun in the dative case as their indirect object. The dative case can be used with several prepositions. The chapter summarises the prepositions that can appear in the dative case and indicates the context in which they are used. Nouns in the dative case appear in several idioms/phrases.