If you don't love it, You'll like it. Personal Pronouns. Dative Case.

My dear readers,

This post is all about the Dative case of the Personal Pronouns. The related pod-cast episode is available here.

Dative means givivng. Дать or давáть means to give, so дáтельный падеж is the the giving case. Indeed, if you are going to saygive me, you will need the Dative case here. In Russian it will be 'Дай мне' (informal)or Дáйте мне(polite form). Мне is the Dative form of the pronoun я, so мне means'to me'.

It is a very useful case. You will need it for many basic patterns. Like give me, show me and tell me. The Dative case is also used in the phrases I need, I must, I should. We'll also need it to say I am cold, he is happy, you are lonely etc. I have actually made a pod-cast episode and a big post about the later pattern called 'Russian Adverb or About the Simple and unchangeable'.You are welcome to visit it here.

What pattern is the centrepiece of this post and the related pod-cast?A really useful pattern. We have learnt how to say I love and now I would like to offer you a very popular synonymic phrase which is I like.If you don't love it, you will like it.

In Russian it will be: мне нрáвится (I like), тебé нрáвится (you like), ему́ нрáвится (he likes). So what we need basically for this phrase is the pronoun in the Dative case and the verb нрáвится. The verb will be unchanged no matter who is liking whatever they may be liking.

Please, pay attention, Он мне нрáвится means I like him. Not he likes me. It is kind of vice versa in Russian.

Now, please, scroll a bit down to see what phrases were mentioned in the pod-cast episode:

Мне нрáвится сыр. - I like cheese.

Мне нрáвится шоколáд. - I like chocolate.

And now let practice.

мне нрáвится – I like

тебе нрáвится – you like

ему нрáвится – he likes

ей нрáвится – she likes

ему нрáвится – it likes

нам нрáвится – we like

вам нрáвится – you like

им нрáвится – they like

Мне э́то нрáвится. - I like it. Мне э́то не нрáвится. - I don't like it.

Мне нрáвится путешéствовать. I love travelling. Тебé нрáвится твоя́ рабóта? Do you like your job? Ему нрáвится Росси́я? Does he like Russia? Ей нрáвится э́то плáтье. Does she like the dress? Нам здесь нрáвится. We like it here. Вам нрáвится винó? Do you like wine. Им нрáвится гости́ница. They like the hotel.

One more thing. I promised to tell you how to make a person tell his or her secret. This is not too difficult you must look into his her eyes and ask: Скажи́ мне, о чём ты дýмаешь? Tell me, what are you thinking about?

And now I am gonna tell what I am thinking about. I am actually thinking that there are only Instrumental and Prepositional cases left for us. Я с нетерпе́нием жду нóвой встре́чи с Вáми. This was Instrumental. И я ду́маю о Вас. I am thinking about you. That was Prepositional!

All in all it may be easier than it seems. Don't be afraid, say it in Russian!

Thank you for reading this post. Please, don't forget to leave you comments below. They are very much appreciated :-)

CU soon, Daria