The Dative Case: To and For
When an action is directed to or for someone, that person is the receiver (the indirect object). In Russian, we express this using the Dative case. Use it with verbs of giving and communicating, such as helping (помогать), telling (сказать), answering, buying, and calling.
Me and You (мне, тебе)
The Dative form of я (I) is мне (to me, for me).
| My brother often helps me. | Мой брат часто мне помогает. |
| Yesterday she told me this. | Вчера она мне это сказала. |
The Dative form of ты (you, informal) is тебе. Notice how these pronouns often sit right before the verb:
| Yesterday I bought you a gift. | Вчера я купил тебе подарок. |
| Do friends call you often? — Yes. | Друзья тебе часто звонят? — Да. |
Him and Her (ему, ей)
он (he) and оно (it) share the Dative form ему.
| We wrote him a letter. | Мы написали ему письмо. |
The Dative form of она (she) is ей.
| She asks, and you do not answer her. | Она спрашивает, а вы ей не отвечаете. |
Plural Pronouns (нам, вам, им)
The plural and formal Dative pronouns all conveniently end in -м:
- мы (we) becomes нам
- вы (you, formal/plural) becomes вам
- они (they) becomes им
| The new teacher always helps us. | Новый учитель всегда нам помогает. |
| I want to tell you this now. | Я хочу сказать вам это сейчас. |
| Mom cooked soup for them. | Мама приготовила им суп. |
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