pomáhať / ďakovať / rozumieť + Dative

Verbs with the Dative

Level 3

Some verbs take the person in the dative, even though English uses a plain object: Pomáham mame (I help Mom), Ďakujem vám (Thank you), Rozumiem ti (I understand you), Verím mu (I believe him).

How It Works

The verbs.

  • pomáhať / pomôcť (help): Pomáham mame v kuchyni. Pomôžeš mi?
  • ďakovať / poďakovať (thank): Ďakujem vám. Poďakuj babke za darček.
  • rozumieť (understand): Rozumiem ti. Nerozumiem tejto otázke.
  • veriť (believe, trust): Verím mu. Neverím tomu.
  • telefonovať, zavolať (phone): Zavolám ti večer. Telefonoval som lekárovi.
  • radiť / poradiť (advise): Poraď mi, čo mám robiť.

Why English speakers slip. In English, help, thank and believe take a plain object, so it is easy to reach for the accusative. In Slovak the person is treated as a receiver, as in the dative for recipients. Use the short dative pronouns mi, ti, mu, jej, nám, vám, im (see dative pronouns).

What else goes with the verb. The reason you thank someone takes za with the accusative: Ďakujem ti za pomoc. With a language, rozumieť usually takes po: Rozumiem po slovensky. To believe in something uses v or na with the accusative: veriť v Boha, veriť na duchov.

Other verbs that take the dative are covered in páčiť sa and chutiť, chýbať and patriť.

Examples (6)

  1. Ďakujem vám za pomoc.

    Thank you for your help.

    Word by Word: I-thank you(dat) for help.

    The person is in the dative (vám); the reason takes za.

  2. Pomáham mame v kuchyni.

    I'm helping Mom in the kitchen.

    Word by Word: I-help mom(dat) in kitchen.

    Mama becomes mame in the dative.

  3. Prepáč, nerozumiem ti.

    Sorry, I don't understand you.

    Word by Word: Sorry, I-not-understand you(dat).

  4. Verím mu, lebo vždy hovorí pravdu.

    I believe him because he always tells the truth.

    Word by Word: I-believe him(dat), because always he-speaks truth.

  5. Zavolám ti večer.

    I'll call you tonight.

    Word by Word: I-will-call you(dat) evening.

  6. Nerozumiem tejto otázke.

    I don't understand this question.

    Word by Word: I-not-understand this question(dat).

    A thing can be in the dative too: tejto otázke.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative after pomáhať.

    Pomáham mamu.
    Pomáham mame.

    Pomáhať takes the dative. Mamu is the accusative; the dative is mame.

  • Using the accusative pronoun after ďakovať.

    Ďakujem ťa.
    Ďakujem ti.

    Ďakovať takes the dative, so use ti, not ťa.

  • Using the accusative pronoun after veriť.

    Verím ho.
    Verím mu.

    Veriť takes the dative when you believe a person, so use mu.

How It Connects

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pomáhať / ďakovať / rozumieť + DativeLevel 3Verbs with the Dative

Learn This First

Before Verbs With the Dative, learn Dative Pronouns. These verbs take a dative object, often a pronoun.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

pomáhaťďakovaťrozumieťveriťtelefonovať