CEN: Lesson - The Dative Case: Introduction
The Dative Case
The Dative case in Latin is used to express to whom or for whom, though in Latin there will be no preposition (remember: prepositions only occur with accusative and ablative case nouns). Usually, the dative will be used as the indirect object of a sentence. The indirect object receives a direct object being given, shown or told and is almost always a person.
Dative Endings
Let's explore the new endings for the dative case for all three declensions. We will look at these endings together with all the other noun endings later in the module, but for now, just focus on these new endings.
| Gender | 1st Declension | 2nd Declension | 3rd Declension | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |
| All Genders | -ae | -is/-abus* | -o | -is | -i | -ibus |
Nota bene:
- *Some feminine nouns, like dea and filia, share a noun base with a 2nd declension masculine noun (deus, filius). The feminine nouns will end with -abus (deabus, filiabus) in the dative and ablative plural instead of -is to avoid confusion with the masculine nouns (deis, filiis).
- There are no differences between masculine/feminine and neuter for 2nd and 3rd declension. In other words, all nouns within a given declension use the same dative endings, regardless of gender.