Croatian Dative Case

Grammar Essentials

The dative case in Croatian is used to indicate an indirect object, answering the question “to whom” or “for whom” something is given or done. Whether saying Pišem pismo prijatelju (I’m writing a letter to a friend) or Veselim se vikendu (I’m looking forward to the weekend), mastering the dative helps you express relationships and intentions. This guide covers the key rules for using the dative case with practical examples.

Dative

The basics

The dative is most commonly used without prepositions as an indirect object, mostly describing to whom something is given or for whom something is done:

Regular noun endings in the dative case

NumberCaseMuški rod
(m.)
Ženski rod
(f.)
Srednji rod
(n.)
Jednina
(singular)
Nominative
krevet (bed)
susjed (neighbour)
-a
stolica (chair)
mačka (cat)
-o/e
stablo (tree)
more (sea)
Dative-u
krevetu
susjedu
-i
stolici
mački
-u
stablu
moru
Množina
(plural)
Nominative-i
kreveti
susjedi
-e
stolice
mačke
-a
stabla
mora
Dative-ima
krevetima
susjedima
-ama
stolicama
mačkama
-ima
stablima
morima

When is the dative case used?

  1. veseliti se (to look forward to)
    Veselim se Božiću. → I’m looking forward to Christmas.
  2. nadati se (to hope)
    Nadam se dobrim vijestima. → I’m hoping for good news.
  3. nedostajati (to miss)
    Marku nedostaje Ana. → Marko misses Ana.
  4. sviđati se (to like)
    Ivanu se sviđa život u Zagrebu. → Ivan likes the life in Zagreb.

With a few prepositions:

  1. k, ka (to)

    Idemo k Ivanu. → We’re going to Ivan’s.

    Moram k zubaru. → I have to go to the dentist.
  2. nasuprot (across from)

    Nasuprot bolnici se nalazi pekara. → Across from the hospital is a bakery.

    Nasuprot kući je restoran. → Across from the house is a restaurant.
  3. usprkos, unatoč (despite)

    Izašli smo unatoč kiši. → We went out despite the rain.

    Došla je na posao usprkos bolesti. → She came to work despite the illness.

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Assibilation in the dative case

Sibilarizacija (assibilation) is a sound change in Croatian whereby the consonants -k, -g and -h when placed before the vowel -i change into -c, -z and -s. This change can be seen in the singular form of feminine nouns and in the plural form of masculine nouns in the dative case.

Where can assibilation be found?

In feminine nouns in the singular form:

knjiga (book) → knjizi
ruka (hand) → ruci
noga (leg) → nozi

In masculine nouns in the plural form:

radnik (worker) → radnici (nominative plural) → radnicima (dative plural)
junak (hero) → junacijunacima
orah (walnut) → orasiorasima

There are a few exceptions to this rule

Hypocoristics (affectionate names) in the feminine gender:

baka (granny) → baki
seka (little sister) → seki

Nouns that end in -cka, -čka, -tka, -ga:

kocka (cube) → kocki
mačka (cat) → mački
patka (duck) → patki

Declination of the first names

Zrinka → Zrinki
Dubravka → Dubravki

Irregular nouns have different endings, so be careful about words like obitelj (family), ljubav (love) or noć (night). We are going to talk about this special group in a separate article.

Exercise: how would you say the following in Croatian?

I’m writing a letter to my friend. Pišem pismo prijatelju.

Ana bought a chocolate for Maja. Ana je Maji kupila čokoladu.

I gave a book to my colleague. Dao sam knjigu svojem kolegi.

Across from the school is the playground. Nasuprot školi je igralište.

I promised my son we would travel together. Obećao sam sinu da ćemo zajedno putovati.

Marko is helping the firefighters. Marko pomaže vatrogascima.

The company is hoping for new workers. Tvrtka se nada novim radnicima.

We went to the beach despite the rain. Otišli smo na plažu unatoč kiši.

I am looking forward to my birthday. Veselim se rođendanu.

My Dad bought me a gift. Tata mi je kupio poklon.


Language guide

Explore grammar and learning tips in our Croatian language guide.

  • Croatian Diminutive Nouns

    Love & Relationships

    Add warmth to your speech with Croatian diminutives – learn how to form affectionate and cute versions of nouns.

  • Croatian Imperative

    Grammar Essentials

    Want to give a command or make a polite request? This guide teaches how to use and soften the imperative in Croatian.

  • Croatian Noun Gender: Masculine, Feminine & Neuter Explained

    Grammar Essentials

    Every noun in Croatian has a gender – learn to recognize masculine, feminine, and neuter forms with helpful patterns.

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