Dative Instead of priekš

For Someone: The Dative, Not Priekš

Level 4

"For someone" is the dative in Latvian: dāvana mammai (a present for Mum), Tas ir tev (This is for you).

How It Works

1. The dative says who it is for. Use the dative for the person who gets or benefits from something:

  • Šī dāvana ir mammai. (This present is for Mum.)
  • Tas ir tev. (This is for you.)
  • Viņa uzcepa kūku viesiem. (She baked a cake for the guests.)

This is the same dative as in giving to someone, and the pronouns are man, tev, viņam and viņai.

2. Purposes too. The dative also names what something is meant for: Es nopirku biļetes braucienam. (I bought tickets for the trip.) Šis galds ir bērniem. (This table is for the children.)

3. About priekš. In everyday speech people say priekš tevis or priekš mammas, with the genitive. Tēzaurs marks this use as colloquial, and language advisers recommend the dative for standard Latvian. In older literary Latvian, priekš means "before": priekš saules (before sunrise).

4. Other kinds of "for". English "for" has several Latvian equivalents:

  • In exchange or thanks: par. Paldies par dāvanu! (Thank you for the present!)
  • For someone's sake: labad. bērnu labad (for the children's sake)
  • To fetch: pēc. iet pēc maizes (to go for bread)

Examples (6)

  1. Šī dāvana ir mammai.

    This present is for Mum.

    Word by Word: This present is to-mum.

  2. Tas ir tev.

    This is for you.

    Word by Word: That is to-you.

  3. Es nopirku ziedus draudzenei.

    I bought flowers for my friend.

    Word by Word: I bought flowers to-friend.

    Draudzene is a female friend or a girlfriend.

  4. Viņa uzcepa kūku viesiem.

    She baked a cake for the guests.

    Word by Word: She baked cake to-guests.

  5. Šis galds ir bērniem.

    This table is for the children.

    Word by Word: This table is to-children.

  6. Es nopirku biļetes braucienam.

    I bought tickets for the trip.

    Word by Word: I bought tickets to-trip.

    The dative can also name a purpose.

Common Mistakes

  • Using priekš for the person in standard Latvian.

    Šī kūka ir priekš tevis.
    Šī kūka ir tev.

    Priekš tevis is common in speech, but dictionaries mark it as colloquial. Careful standard Latvian uses the dative tev.

  • Translating "for my mum" with priekš.

    Es nopirku ziedus priekš mammas.
    Es nopirku ziedus mammai.

    In standard Latvian, the person who gets the flowers goes in the dative: mammai. Priekš mammas is colloquial.

  • Using priekš in "thank you for".

    Paldies priekš dāvanas!
    Paldies par dāvanu!

    After paldies, "for" is par with the accusative.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Dative Instead of priekšLevel 4For Someone: The Dative, Not Priekš

Learn This First

The dative is used instead of priekš.

Words in This Pattern

priekš