Let’s Talk About the Dative Case (aka the Giving One)
If genitive is a little moody and mysterious, dative is the generous, helpful friend in the Czech grammar squad. It’s all about giving, receiving, helping, thanking, and telling. Basically anything nice that’s done to or for someone? That’s dative. Let’s unwrap it.
What Is the Dative Case?
The dative (in Czech: dativ, 3. pád) is the case used to show the recipient of an action who is receiving something, being helped, told, shown, or thanked.
Ask yourself:
Komu? Čemu? – “To whom?” “To what?”
Examples
Dám dárek kamarádovi. – I’m giving a gift to my friend.
Pomáháme babičce. – We’re helping grandma.
Řekl mi pravdu. – He told me the truth.
Děkuju ti. – Thank you.
Verbs That LOVE the Dative
Here are some common dative-verbs you’ll use a lot:
dát (to give)
říct (to say/tell)
poslat (to send)
pomáhat (to help)
věřit (to believe)
děkovat (to thank)
Most of them involve giving or transferring something (an object, feeling, idea) to someone.
Prepositions That Trigger the Dative
Yep, some prepositions are married to the Dative. When you see them, your inner grammar radar should start flashing “dative incoming!”
Here are the most common ones:
k / ke (to, towards): Jdu k doktorovi. – I'm going to the doctor.
kvůli (because of): Kvůli dětem. – Because of the children.
proti (against): Jsem proti válce. – I'm against the war.
naproti (opposite): Bydlí naproti škole. – She lives opposite the school.
„K“ becomes „ke“ before words that start with certain consonant clusters to make pronunciation easier. For example: ke stolu, ke dveřím, ke kolegovi.
Dative Endings: Let’s Look at the Forms
Here’s your breakdown of dative endings by gender and number:
Dative endings by gender and number
Bonus tip: Pronouns also change!
mi, ti, mu, nám, vám, jim = to me, to you, to him, to us, to you all, to them
Want to Double-Check a Form?
Visit this gem of a website: Internetová jazyková příručka
Type in a noun (like město or učitel) in the Slovníková část field and click Hledej.
You’ll get all the forms of the word for every case, singular and plural.
How to Make Dative Stick
Focus on simple “to someone” sentences. Try these daily micro-practices:
Morning mantra: Say one sentence aloud → „Dám čaj kamarádovi.“
Work time: Write a message with a dative verb „Napíšu babičce zprávu.“
Flashcards:
Komu? Čemu?
Model sentence
3 dative verbs (dát, říct, věřit)
Example of a dative flashcard
Create and repeat. Nothing fancy. Just rhythm.
Want All the Cases in One Place?
If dative made your brain twitch, don’t worry. You’re not alone.
That’s why I made this: The Czech Cases Cheat Sheet – a printable, beginner-friendly grammar tool to help you survive (and thrive) in Czech.
All 7 cases explained clearly
Prepositions, verbs, and examples
Czech + English questions
Tiny study hacks
A one-page overview table
You'll actually start using Czech cases not just fearing them.
