palīdzēt / zvanīt / ticēt + Dative

Verbs with Dative Objects

Level 2

After palīdzēt (to help), zvanīt (to call) and ticēt (to believe), the person is dative, not accusative: Es palīdzu mammai. Es zvanu draugam. Es tev ticu.

How It Works

These verbs look like ordinary verbs with an object in English, but in Latvian their person is in the dative:

  • palīdzēt (to help): Es palīdzu mammai. (I help Mum.)
  • zvanīt and piezvanīt (to call, to phone): Es zvanu draugam. (I am calling a friend.)
  • ticēt (to believe, to believe in): Es tev ticu. (I believe you.) Viņa tic brīnumiem. (She believes in miracles.)

Other common verbs work the same way:

  • jautāt (to ask): Es jautāju skolotājai. (I am asking the teacher.)
  • atbildēt (to answer): Viņš man neatbildēja. (He did not answer me.) The question itself takes uz: atbildēt uz jautājumu.
  • piekrist (to agree with): Es tev piekrītu. (I agree with you.)
  • pateikties (to thank): Mēs pateicāmies ārstam. (We thanked the doctor.)
  • sekot (to follow) and piedot (to forgive)

Compare an ordinary accusative object: Es redzu draugu (I see a friend), but Es zvanu draugam (I am calling a friend).

Calling a place. A person you call is dative. For a place, use uz: zvanīt uz darbu (to call the office).

Pronouns. Use the dative pronouns man, tev, viņam, viņai, mums, jums, viņiem, viņām. A short pronoun often stands before the verb: Es tev ticu. See where object pronouns go.

Examples (6)

  1. Es palīdzu mammai virtuvē.

    I help Mum in the kitchen.

    Palīdzēt takes the dative: mammai.

  2. Vakar es piezvanīju vecmāmiņai.

    Yesterday I called Grandma.

    Piezvanīt, like zvanīt, takes the dative: vecmāmiņai.

  3. Es tev ticu.

    I believe you.

    Word by Word: I to-you believe.

    Tev is the dative of tu. A short pronoun often comes before the verb.

  4. Vai jūs varat man palīdzēt?

    Can you help me?

    Man is the dative of es.

  5. Viņš man neatbildēja.

    He did not answer me.

    The person you answer is dative.

  6. Es tev piekrītu.

    I agree with you.

    Piekrist takes the dative, with no word for with.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative after palīdzēt, as in English.

    Es palīdzu mammu.
    Es palīdzu mammai.

    Palīdzēt takes the dative. Mammu is the accusative; use mammai.

  • Using the accusative after zvanīt.

    Es zvanu draugu.
    Es zvanu draugam.

    The person you call is dative: draugam.

  • Using the accusative pronoun after ticēt.

    Es ticu tevi.
    Es ticu tev.

    Ticēt takes the dative, so tu becomes tev, not tevi.

How It Connects

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

palīdzēt / zvanīt / ticēt + DativeLevel 2Verbs with Dative Objects

Learn This First

Some verbs take a dative object.

Words in This Pattern

zvanītticēt