Pater mihi consilium dat, et ego eo libenter utor.

Father gives me advice, and I gladly use it.

Breakdown of Pater mihi consilium dat, et ego eo libenter utor.

• ego: I
• et: and
• pater: the father
• dare: to give

Questions & Answers about Pater mihi consilium dat, et ego eo libenter utor.

Why is mihi in the dative case?

Because mihi is the indirect object: it names the person to whom something is given.

With dare (to give), Latin normally uses:

• the thing given in the accusative
• the recipient in the dative

So in Pater mihi consilium dat:

• pater = the father, the giver
• consilium = the advice/counsel, the thing given
• mihi = to me, the recipient

So mihi is the dative singular of ego.

Why is consilium in the accusative?

Because it is the direct object of dat.

The verb dat means he gives, and the thing being given is consilium. That makes consilium the direct object, so it appears in the accusative singular.

A very common pattern with dare is:

• someone gives
• something to someone

In Latin:

• something = accusative
• to someone = dative

So:

• consilium = accusative
• mihi = dative