To whom: the dative

The dative: the person the action reaches

Not the thing acted on, which is accusative, but the person on the receiving end or with a stake in it.

Indirect object, with verbs of giving, telling, sending and showing:

123

1. 1Puer
2. 2librum
3. 3puellae

Puer puellae librum dat: the boy gives the girl a book. The giver is nominative, the book accusative, the girl, who receives it, dative.

• Regi librum do. - I give the book to the king.
• Militibus verba dixit. - He spoke words to the soldiers.
• Dona nobis pacem. - Give us peace. (the end of the Agnus Dei)
• Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto. - Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Do, dico, mitto, trado and ostendo all take the thing in the accusative and the person in the dative.

The owner: the dative of possession.

• Est mihi liber. - I have a book.
• Nomen mihi est Marcus. - My name is Marcus.

It is as ordinary as habeo librum. The difference is emphasis: habeo puts the owner first, est mihi the thing owned, which is why names are given this way.

12

1. 1femina
2. 2canis feminae

Femina is the woman; canis feminae (genitive) is the woman's dog. Latin can also say feminae est canis (dative): the woman has a dog.