patřit + Dative

Structure: [Thing owned (Nominative)] + patřit + [Owner (dative)].

Verb Agreement: Because the thing owned is the grammatical subject (in the nominative case), the verb must agree with it in number and gender. In the present tense, the third-person singular and plural forms of patřit are identical (patří). However, this agreement becomes obvious in the past tense, where the verb changes to match the subject (e.g., Ten klíč mi patřil = That key belonged to me; Ty klíče mi patřily = Those keys belonged to me).

Pronouns and Clitics: When the owner is a pronoun, you must use the dative forms. Remember that short, unstressed pronouns (mi, ti, mu) must sit in the second position of the clause. If you need to emphasize the owner, contrast them, or place the pronoun at the beginning or end of the sentence, use the long, stressed forms (mně, tobě, jemu). Note that the feminine singular (jí) and plural pronouns (nám, vám, jim) do not have separate short and long forms.

Meaning vs. Grammar: Do not assume that "possession" automatically means using the genitive case. To express possession, the verb patřit strictly requires the bare dative case to complete its meaning. This is a fixed, lexical rule of the verb.

Contrast with "patřit k", "patřit mezi", "patřit do", and "patřit na": If you add the preposition k (k/ke + dative) or mezi + accusative, the meaning changes from ownership to classification or membership (e.g., Patří k nejlepším studentům or Patří mezi nejlepší studenty = He belongs among the best students). Notice that spatial uses of patřit imply direction or placement (answering the question Kam to patří? - Where does it go?), which is why we use directional cases instead of static locative cases. For example, using do (do + genitive) expresses spatial belonging or membership in an organization (e.g., To patří do skříně = That belongs in the closet; Patří do stejného klubu = He belongs to the same club). You can also use na + accusative for spatial placement on surfaces (e.g., To patří na stůl = That belongs on the table). Finally, you can use patřit k sobě to mean belonging together (e.g., Patříme k sobě = We belong together).

Reflexive "patřit se": Note the reflexive form patřit se, which means "to be appropriate" or "to be proper" (e.g., To se nepatří. = That is not proper/appropriate). This is also used in the common affirmative idiom jak se patří, meaning "proper" or "as it should be" (e.g., To je oslava, jak se patří! = That is a proper celebration!).