Did you know that the dative and locative in Serbian have much in common? First off, both seem like tough nuts to crack (just like all other cases). Also, they are carbon copies of each other, or, more precisely, they look and sound the same. But what’s the difference?
If you’d like to get to the bottom of this grammar riddle, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll lay bare all the details for you, including how to use the dative and locative cases, highlighting the differences between the two so that you never mix them up again. Let’s get started!
Dative and Locative in Serbian: What’s the Confusion?
Many learners would agree that there’s a special place in a grammar hell for Serbian cases. For starters, there are seven of them, and to make matters worse, each comes with various suffixes for every gender, both singular and plural.
That said, some cases cause more confusion than others, for example, the dative and locative. Why? Take a peek at the examples below.
Dative: Hodam ka parku.
Locative: Šetam se u parku.
Yes, these two cases look exactly the same for every gender and number.
So, how on earth can you tell between dative and locative if they look and sound identical?
In short, what sets these two cases apart is the meaning and contexts in which they’re used. Plus, the prepositions that they are preceded by can give you a hint.
With that out of the way, let’s get into the specifics.
The Difference Between the Dative and Locative Cases in Serbian
Indeed, the dative and locative in Serbian are two peas in a pod. But, as confusing as it may sound, that fact actually has its advantages. Just think about it — memorizing all those suffixes for each case is a pain in the neck.
But with these two, you can kill two birds with one stone. If you learn how to form the dative, you’ll also have learned the locative — and vice versa.
On a similar note, the plural of these cases is the same as that of the instrumental.
To learn more about how to form each case and which suffix to add, check out this guide. In this article, we’ll focus on how the dative and locative work through examples so that you can use them without confusion.
The Dative Case in Serbian
The dative is the third case, and simply speaking, you can use it to discuss intent, direction, or overcoming an obstacle. For reference, asking the following questions will help you identify this case:
- Kome? – To whom?
- Čemu? – What for?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, any existing prepositions (or their absence) can serve as a hint when deciding which case you’re dealing with. Most often, the dative will appear without a preposition or with any of the following:
- ka (k) / prema – towards
- uprkos – despite
So, how can you put this case to use? Let’s see!
Intent
One of the typical purposes of the dative is to discuss the act of giving something to someone or mentioning an object of a certain action. For example:
Poklonila sam knjigu mami.
(I gifted a book to my mom.)
Stavio je povodac psu.
(He put a leash on the dog.)
Similarly, if you’re telling something to someone, the dative will cover that.
Rekla sam drugarici da dođe na kafu.
(I told my friend to drop by for a cup of coffee.)
Obećala je baki da će je posetiti.
(She promised her grandma that she’d visit her.)
As you can see from these examples, the dative in this context goes without any prepositions.
Direction
Whenever you’re moving towards a goal or a destination, you can resort to the dative case to put that into words. Unsurprisingly, the dative with this meaning meshes well with verbs of motion. Also, note that while some cases require the prepositions ka (k) and prema, others don’t.
Examples with prepositions:
Hodam ka muzeju.
(I’m walking towards the museum.)
Deca trče prema reci.
(Children are running towards the river.)
Examples without prepositions:
Idemo kući.
(We’re going home.)
Bolje je da odeš lekaru.
(You’d better see a doctor.)
Despite…
When talking about doing something despite an obstacle or not being able to do it in spite of your effort, which case will you use? Yes, it’s dative.
Koncert je održan uprkos kiši.
(The concert was held despite the rain.)
Nismo uspeli uprkos trudu.
(We haven’t succeeded despite our efforts.)
Sentence Subject
In Serbian grammar, only a word in the nominative case can be the true sentence subject. That being said, sometimes nouns and pronouns in the dative act like a subject, especially when we wish to express a craving, mood, feeling, or other states. For example:
Marku je muka.
(Marko is feeling sick.)
Tati se jede torta, a mami voće.
(My dad feels like eating a cake, and mom feels like fruits.)
The Locative Case in Serbian
As for the locative, it’s the seventh and the last case in Serbian grammar. It answers these questions:
- O kome? – About whom?
- O čemu? – About what?
Unlike the dative, locative always requires a preposition, and the most common ones are:
- na – on
- u – in
- o – about
- po – across, along
As the name of this case suggests, you can use it to talk about the locations of people and objects, but naturally, other contexts call for the use of this case, as well.
Location
First up, the locative in combo with the prepositions na and u is your go-to case when describing the whereabouts of a person or object. The following examples involve no movement, as the locative here refers to a fixed location rather than a direction.
Mačka spava na stolici.
(The cat is sleeping on the chair.)
Vidimo se u parku.
(See you in the park.)
Živim u Beogradu.
(I live in Belgrade.)
On the other hand, when paired with the preposition po, locative can also express movement within a certain space.
Šetamo se po parku.
(We’re strolling across the park.)
Čamac plovi po reci.
(A boat is sailing along the river.)
Talking, Thinking, Dreaming
As you’ll see in the following examples, we use the preposition o followed by locative when we’re talking, dreaming, or thinking about someone or something.
Ne volim da pričam o politici.
(I don’t like to talk about politics.)
On sanja o boljem životu.
(He’s dreaming about a better life.)
Često razmišljam o budućnosti.
(I often think about the future.)
Time
Next, the locative paired with the preposition u can also be used to discuss time. Usually, you’ll go with this pattern to talk about a period when something happens. For example:
Letnji raspust počinje u junu.
(Summer vacation begins in June.)
On se ponaša kao da živi u devetnaestom veku.
(He behaves like he’s living in the 19th century.)
Dative and Locative Cases in Serbian: Pronouns
Finally, it’s time to talk about pronouns. Although all nouns and adjectives have the same form in the dative and locative, only pronouns sometimes differ. Let’s see how.
If you check out our guide on personal pronouns, you’ll see that they can have a short and a long form in certain cases (dative, genitive, and accusative). For example, the dative of the first person singular pronoun ja (I) can be either:
- meni – long form
- mi – short form
So, the dative can have both short and long forms. In contrast, personal pronouns in the locative always appear in the long form. As a result, the pronouns in these two cases will be the same at times and different at others.
In most cases, though, the pronouns in dative are in their short form. If you use the long form, it’s typically to make some sort of emphasis. Also, the pronouns at the beginning of a sentence always appear in their long form, no matter the case.
Example 1: ja (I – 1st person singular)
dative
Daj mi čokoladu.
(Give me the chocolate.)
Daj meni čokoladu.
(Give the chocolate to me — not to someone else.)
locative
On govori laži o meni.
(He tells lies about me.)
Example 2: vi (you – 2nd person plural)
dative
Kupila sam vam poklone.
(I bought presents for you.)
Kupila sam vama poklone.
(I bought presents for you — not for somebody else.)
locative
Često mislim o vama.
(I often think about you.)
Quiz: Dative vs Locative
Before wrapping up, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test by choosing between dative and locative in the given sentences. When you’re done, you’ll find the correct answers at the end of this article. Ready?
- Ana je u školi. (Ana is in the school.)
- dative
- locative
- Pričali smo o knjizi. (We talked about a book.)
- dative
- locative
- Poslao sam pismo devojci. (I sent a letter to my girlfriend.)
- dative
- locative
- Kampujemo na planini. (We’re camping on a mountain.)
- dative
- locative
- Pomozi mi da raspremim kuću. (Help me tidy up the house.)
- dative
- locative
Dative and Locative in Serbian: The Takeaway
And that’s it, folks — the dative and locative in Serbian aren’t that tricky after all, right? They are almost always identical, so you don’t need to rack your brain too much about the form. Plus, both come in handy in various situations. As for differentiating between them, you just need to look out for the prepositions and the context, and you’ll be fine.
Did you know that our pre-intermediate course covers the locative and dative, among many other things? Check it out here and up your Serbian language skills with engaging video lessons, interactive materials, and fun quizzes!
Answer Key
- b) locative
- b) locative
- a) dative
- b) locative
- a) dative