Russian Dative Case — Indirect Object Case

The dative case (да́тельный паде́ж) marks the recipient or beneficiary — "to whom" or "for whom" something is done: Я даю́ кни́гу дру́гу ("I'm giving the book to my friend"), Помоги́ ма́ме ("Help mum").

Dative is also used for impersonal expressions of feeling or necessity: Мне хо́лодно ("I'm cold" — literally "to-me cold"), Ему́ ну́жно рабо́тать ("He needs to work"), Ей нра́вится му́зыка ("She likes music"). Several common verbs (помога́ть "to help", звони́ть "to call", сове́товать "to advise") govern the dative directly. Endings: masculine/neuter -у / -ю, feminine -е / -и, plural -ам / -ям.

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