Dative Case in English | Pronouns & Examples
The dative case is the grammatical case for an indirect object—a noun or pronoun that receives a direct object. For example, in “Sally baked us a cake,” the indirect object “us” receives the direct object “cake.”
The term “dative case” isn’t a common grammar term in English because the three cases in English are nominative, genitive, and objective. The objective case in English includes the accusative case and dative case, which are different in some languages (e.g., Latin and German), but not English.
Learning about the objective case helps you use pronouns correctly. When a pronoun is an indirect object (dative case), a direct object (accusative case), or the object of a preposition, it must be one of the objective case pronouns (e.g., “them” or “themselves”). Nominative case pronouns (e.g., “they”) are not correct in the objective case.
The realtor showed us three houses.
The bank loaned them money for a car.
Kamal’s parents threw him a huge party on his birthday.
What is the dative case in English?
In English grammar, you can think of the dative case and the accusative case as part of the objective case. English grammar rules include three cases for nouns and pronouns. Some (but not all) other languages (e.g., German) include four cases.
| Function of a noun or pronoun in a sentence | Cases in German and other languages | Cases in English |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Nominative | Nominative (I, we, you, she, he, they, it, who) |
| Direct objects | Accusative | Objective (me, us, you, her, him, them, it, whom) |
| Indirect objects | Dative | |
| Possessives | Genitive | Genitive (e.g., his, their, Charlotte’s, coworkers’) |
Nouns in English do not have different forms for nominative and objective case. For example, the noun “artist” is the same whether it’s a subject or an object. However, nouns in English do have genitive forms (e.g., possessive nouns like “artist’s”).
Pronouns in English have different nominative, objective, and genitive cases. English uses the objective case for both direct objects and indirect objects.
| Indirect objects (dative case) | Direct objects (accusative case) |
|---|---|
| My supervisors were glad when Tara sent them her resume. | These earrings are special because I bought them on my honeymoon. |
| When Ryan proposed to Raina, he gave her a ring. | Gabriella’s best friend is visiting her on Saturday. |
How to identify the dative case in English sentences
The dative case is part of the objective case in English. The objective case is necessary for pronouns that are indirect objects in English sentences. For example, the correct first-person pronouns for indirect objects are “me” and “us” (not “I” and “we”). Therefore, you need to know when a pronoun functions as an indirect object in order to use the right pronoun case.
An indirect object goes between the verb and the direct object. It answers the question “to whom?” or “for whom?” A sentence cannot have an indirect object unless it also has a direct object. But a sentence can have a direct object only (without an indirect object).
While Ted was away at school, Alexis wrote him several letters. [Alexis wrote the letters to him.]
When my daughter was young, I cooked her breakfast every morning. [I cooked it for her.]
The verbs in sentences with indirect objects are ditransitive verbs (verbs that can take an indirect and a direct object). A few of the most common ditransitive verbs are listed below.
| give | offer | send | pass |
| tell | show | ask | find |
| lend | pay | buy | sell |
| write | read | draw | teach |
| make | bake | paint | throw |
Dative case pronouns (i.e., objective case pronouns)
Pronouns that are in the dative case in some languages are considered objective case in English. Objective case pronouns include object pronouns and reflexive pronouns.
- Object pronouns: “me,” “us,” “you,” “her,” “him,” “them,” “it,” and “whom”
- Reflexive pronouns: “myself,” “ourselves,” “yourself,” “yourselves,” “himself,” “herself,” “themselves,” “oneself,” and “itself”
Reflexive pronouns are only correct when a sentence subject (e.g., “I”) is also an object (e.g,. “I made myself some hot tea”).
Subject pronouns ( “I,” “we,” “you,” “she,” “he,” “it,” “they,” and “who”) are not correct for indirect objects.
| Objective case pronouns | Examples in sentences |
|---|---|
| Me, us | Jay offered us free tickets to the baseball game. |
| you | I’m sending you my cover letter later today. |
| Him, her, them, it | The music teacher taught them a new song. |
| Myself, ourselves | I bought myself a green dress for the bridal shower. |
| Yourself, yourselves | Please give yourself 20 minutes to take the survey. |
| Himself, herself, themselves, itself | Uncle Rico cooked himself a juicy steak. |
- Grandma left Tina and I a casserole in the refrigerator.
- Grandma left Tina and me a casserole in the refrigerator.
- An anonymous donor bought my students and I some new textbooks.
- An anonymous donor bought my students and me some new textbooks.
When you’re unsure when to use “I” or “me” or need help with other pronouns, the QuillBot Grammar Checker is here to help.
Frequently asked questions about dative case
- Is it you and me or you and I?
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It can be you and me or you and I depending on the sentence. “You and I” is correct for a sentence subject because it’s in the nominative case (e.g., “You and I should have lunch”).
“You and me” is correct when you need the accusative case for a direct object or the dative case for an indirect object or object of a preposition (e.g., “The restaurant reserved a special table just for you and me”).
Use the subject pronoun “I” for nominative case and the object pronoun “me” for the accusative/dative case (aka the objective case).
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker for help with pronouns? It can show you which pronouns are correct in any piece of writing.
- Is it him and I or him and me?
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“Him and I” is incorrect, but you can use “him and me.” “Him” and “me” are both object pronouns, so they can be used together when you need the objective case (which includes the dative case and the accusative case).
- Dative case: The neighbors play volleyball with him and me every Saturday.
- Accusative case: They asked him and me to water their garden during their vacation.
The subject pronoun “I,” which is one of the nominative case pronouns, cannot be combined with the object pronoun “him.” “I” can only be a subject or a predicate nominative.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can instantly find and fix errors—such as “him and I”—in your writing.
- Is it dative case or objective case?
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The correct use of dative case or objective case depends on what language you’re studying. In English, the three grammatical cases are nominative, genitive, and objective (which includes dative and accusative).
In some languages (e.g., German, Latin, and Russian), dative case is one of four or more total cases, including nominative, genitive, accusative, and dative.
Dative case applies to an indirect object that receives the direct object. For example, in “Mom bought him ice cream,” “him” is an indirect object, and “ice cream” is a direct object.
Dative case and accusative case in English both use object pronouns (e.g., “me”) or reflexive pronouns (e.g., “myself”) rather than subject pronouns (e.g., “I”). In other languages, the accusative and dative cases have different sets of rules.
When you’re writing sentences with indirect objects and direct objects, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you choose the correct object pronouns.
