Dative Case

This indicates an indirect object (eg – The boy gave me the money OR the boy gave the money to me.)

A person or thing indirectly affected by the action of a verb is called the Indirect Object.

Only transitive verbs can have a Direct Object; but an Indirect Object may be used with both transitive and intransitive verbs (§§362, 366): -

• pater vocat fílium (direct object), the father calls his son.
• mihi (ind. obj.) agrum (dir. obj.) ostendit, he showed me a field.
• mihi (ind. obj.) placet, it is pleasing to me.

NOTE: The distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs is not a fixed distinction, for most transitive verbs may be used intransitively, and many verbs usually intransitive may take a direct object and so become transitive (§ 388. a).

a. With certain verbs, the Genitive, Dative, or Ablative is used where the English, from a difference in meaning, requires the direct object (Objective): -

• hominem videó, I see the man (Accusative).
• hominí servió, I serve the man (Dative, see § 367).
• hominis misereor, I pity the man (Genitive, see § 354. a).
• homine amícó útor, I treat the man as a friend (Ablative, see § 410).

b. Many verbs transitive in Latin are rendered into English by an intransitive verb with a preposition: -

• petit aprum, he aims at the boar.
• laudem affectat, he strives after praise.
• cúrat valétúdinem, he takes care of his health.
• meum cásum doluerunt, they grieved at my misfortune.
• rídet nostram ámentiam (Quinct. 55) he laughs at our stupidity. (Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar, http://www.hhhh.org/perseant/libellus/aides/allgre/allgre.274.html, 5/3/2006)