Emotional Dative
Len mi neprechladni! means Don't catch a cold!, with the added feeling that the speaker cares. The mi does not mean to me.
How It Works
A pronoun that adds feeling. Slovak can add an unstressed dative pronoun that plays no real part in the action. It is called the ethical or emotional dative:
- Ty si mi ale hrdina! (Well, aren't you quite the hero!): the speaker is amused or ironic.
- Len mi neprechladni! (Just don't go catching a cold!): the speaker cares about the listener.
- To ti bola zima! (It was so cold, let me tell you!): the listener is drawn into the story.
Which pronouns. Usually the short forms mi and ti, sometimes nám and vám. They are always unstressed, so the singular uses the short forms mi and ti, never mne or tebe (see long and short pronoun forms) and follow the second-position rule.
How it differs from other datives. In Daj mi to, mi is the recipient. In Ukradli mi peňaženku, mi shows the owner. In the ethical dative, nothing is given to or taken from anyone. The pronoun only adds emotion, so English translates it with tone: just, well, let me tell you.
Where you hear it. It is typical of lively speech, especially from parents and grandparents, and of storytelling. It does not belong in neutral or formal writing.
Examples (5)
- Ty si mi ale hrdina!
Well, aren't you quite the hero!
Word by Word: You are to-me but hero!
- Len mi neprechladni!
Just don't go catching a cold!
Word by Word: Just to-me don't-catch-cold!
- To ti bola zima!
It was so cold, let me tell you!
Word by Word: That to-you was cold!
Ti draws the listener into the story; nobody is cold "for you".
- Aby ste mi boli v škole dobrí!
Make sure you behave yourselves at school!
Word by Word: So-that you to-me were at school good!
- Nechoď mi tam v noci sám!
Don't you go there alone at night!
Word by Word: Don't-go to-me there at night alone!
Common Mistakes
Using the stressed long form.
Ty si mne ale hrdina!Ty si mi ale hrdina!The emotional dative is always unstressed, so it uses the short form mi, not mne.
Putting the pronoun at the very start.
Mi len neprechladni!Len mi neprechladni!Mi is an unstressed word and cannot begin a sentence. It goes in second position.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Emotional Dative, learn Dative for Possession. The emotional dative is an extension of the possessive dative.
Related Patterns
- Dative Pronouns
The dative pronouns mi, ti, nám and vám used in this construction.
Level 2 - The Dative Case for Recipients
The basic dative for recipients, which the emotional dative is not.
Level 2 - Unstressed Words in Second Position
The emotional dative follows the second-position rule.
Level 3 - Long and Short Pronoun Forms
Only the short forms mi and ti are used here.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
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