The Dative case marks indirect objects—the recipients of an action (who you give something to or help). In the plural, Russian nouns take one of two Dative endings regardless of gender:
- -ам for hard stems (фонд → фондам, пенсионер → пенсионерам).
- -ям for soft stems (семья → семьям, писатель → писателям).
Adjectives and Pronouns in the Dative Plural
Adjectives and pronouns modifying these nouns also take plural Dative endings:
- -ым for most hard-stem adjectives (новый → новым, благотворительный → благотворительным).
- -им for soft-stem adjectives, possessive pronouns (наш → нашим, свой → своим), and stems ending in г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, щ due to spelling rules (младший → младшим).
Notice how verbs like помогать (to help) and переводить (to transfer) take Dative recipients:
| We transfer donations to charitable foundations every month. | Мы каждый месяц переводим пожертвования благотворительным фондам. |
| These students help our new volunteers. | Эти студенты помогают нашим новым волонтёрам. |
| Our company offers help to younger students. | Наша компания предлагает помощь младшим ученикам. |
| Why do you rarely help poor families? | Почему ты редко помогаешь бедным семьям? |
Expressing Need and Broadcasting Messages
The Dative case is also used to express need (literally, something is necessary to someone) and for audiences receiving a message.
| Poor pensioners really need our help. | Бедным пенсионерам очень нужна наша помощь. |
| The author sent a long text to his subscribers. | Автор отправил длинный текст своим подписчикам. |
| We often transfer money to charity funds and help elderly people. | Мы часто переводим деньги благотворительным фондам и помогаем пожилым людям. |
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