man / tev / viņam / viņai
Pronouns for to and for
Dative pronouns: man (to me), tev (to you), viņam (to him), viņai (to her), mums (to us), jums (to you, plural or polite), viņiem (to them, men or mixed) and viņām (to them, women).
How It Works
The forms.
- es → man: to me
- tu → tev: to you (informal)
- viņš → viņam: to him
- viņa → viņai: to her
- mēs → mums: to us
- jūs → jums: to you (plural or polite)
- viņi → viņiem: to them (men or mixed)
- viņas → viņām: to them (women)
Having. Latvian says "to me there is": Man ir brālis. The owner is in the dative and the thing owned stays in the nominative. See having with man ir.
Liking. With patīk, the person who likes is dative and the thing liked is nominative: Viņai patīk Rīga. See liking with patīk.
Giving and helping. The person who receives something is dative: Es tev dodu atslēgu (I am giving you the key). See giving to someone. A few verbs take the dative where English uses a plain object, such as palīdzēt (to help): Es tev palīdzu. See verbs with dative objects.
For someone. The plain dative also marks who something is for: Tā kafija ir tev (That coffee is for you). No preposition is needed; see the dative for "for someone".
Everyday phrases. Kā jums klājas? (How are you?, polite) has the person in the dative, and so does the reply to a dative sentence: Man patīk tēja. — Man arī. (I like tea. — Me too.) See asking how someone is.
Examples (6)
- Man ir brālis un māsa.
I have a brother and a sister.
Word by Word: To-me is brother and sister.
The owner is dative man; brālis and māsa stay in the nominative.
- Vai tev patīk kafija?
Do you like coffee?
- Viņai patīk Rīga, bet viņam patīk Liepāja.
She likes Riga, but he likes Liepāja.
Viņai is "to her" and viņam is "to him".
- Es tev palīdzu.
I'll help you.
Palīdzēt takes the dative, so "you" is tev. The present tense can describe what you are about to do.
- Šī tēja ir jums.
This tea is for you.
The dative jums alone means "for you", here said politely or to several people.
- Viņiem ir divi bērni.
They have two children.
Common Mistakes
Using the subject pronoun with ir for having.
Es ir brālis.Man ir brālis.The intended meaning is "I have a brother". Latvian puts the owner in the dative: man ir.
Using the object form mani with patīk.
Mani patīk kafija.Man patīk kafija.The person who likes something is in the dative, man. Mani is the accusative, used in Mani sauc.
Using the accusative after palīdzēt.
Es palīdzu tevi.Es tev palīdzu.Palīdzēt takes a dative object, so "you" is tev, not tevi.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Dative pronouns build on subject pronouns.
Related Patterns
- man irHaving: Man Ir
Uses the dative pronouns to say who has something.
Level 1 - patīk + DativeLiking with Patīk
Uses the dative pronouns to say who likes something.
Level 1 - Giving to Someone
Shows the dative for the person who receives something.
Level 2 - palīdzēt / zvanīt / ticēt + DativeVerbs with Dative Objects
Lists common verbs whose object is dative, like Es tev palīdzu.
Level 2 - Dative Instead of priekšFor Someone: The Dative, Not Priekš
Explains why "for you" is simply tev or jums.
Level 4 - mani / tevi / viņuObject Pronouns
Contrasts the dative with the accusative forms mani, tevi and viņu.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice man / tev / viņam / viņai in Bubblegum
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