Editing Dative case (section)

{{Short description|Grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to which something is given}}
In [[grammar]], the '''dative case''' ([[list of glossing abbreviations|abbreviated]] {{smallcaps|'''dat'''}}, or sometimes {{smallcaps|'''d'''}} when it is a [[core argument]]) is a [[grammatical case]] used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "{{Lang|la|Maria <em>Jacobo</em> potum dedit|italic=no}}", Latin for "Maria gave <em>Jacob</em> a drink". In this example, the dative marks what would be considered the [[indirect object]] of a [[verb]] in English.

Sometimes the dative has functions unrelated to giving. In [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]] and [[Irish language|Irish]], the term ''dative case'' is used in traditional grammars to refer to the [[prepositional case]]-marking of nouns following simple [[preposition]]s and the definite article. In [[Georgian language|Georgian]] and [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] ([[Hindi]]-[[Urdu]]), the dative case can also mark the subject of a sentence.<ref name=":3">Bhatt, Rajesh (2003). Experiencer subjects. Handout from MIT course “Structure of the Modern Indo-Aryan Languages”.</ref> This is called the [[dative construction]]. In [[Hindi]], the dative construction is not limited to only certain verbs or tenses and it can be used with any verb in any tense or mood.

The dative was common among early [[Indo-European languages]] and has survived to the present in the [[Balto-Slavic languages|Balto-Slavic]] branch, the [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] branch, [[Albanian language|Albanian]] and others. It also exists in similar forms in several non-Indo-European languages, such as the [[Uralic languages|Uralic]] family of languages. In some languages, the dative case has assimilated the functions of other, now extinct cases. In [[Ancient Greek]], the dative has the functions of the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] [[locative case|locative]] and [[instrumental case|instrumental]] as well as those of the original dative.

Under the influence of English, which uses the preposition "to" for (among other uses) both indirect objects (''give to'') and directions of movement (''go to''), the term "dative" has sometimes been used to describe cases that in other languages would more appropriately be called [[lative case|lative]].