The Czech Dative: líbí se mi, je mi zima, je mi dvacet
The dative is the to-me case — and in Czech, an astonishing amount of life happens TO you: liking, tasting, freezing, aging. Meet the tiny words that carry it all.
The Little Words
| Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mi | to me |
| ti | to you (ty) |
| mu / jí | to him / to her |
| nám / vám / jim | to us / to you (vy) / to them |
The question: komu? — to whom? And like all Czech clitics, these live in second position: Dej mi to. Líbí se mi Praha.
Liking, Czech Style
Líbí se mi Praha — I like Prague. Literally: Prague pleases itself to me. The liked thing is the subject; you stand in the dative. Same machine for taste: chutná mi — it tastes good to me.
Líbí se mi Brno. A chutná mi svíčková.
I like Brno. And I love the svíčková.
Note: líbí se for the eyes, chutná for the tongue, mám rád for the heart — three likings, three tools.
How You Feel
Feelings arrive in the dative: Je mi zima — I'm cold. Je mi špatně — I feel sick. Je mi dobře — I feel good. And the promise from Chapter 1, finally kept: Je mi dvacet — I'm twenty. Czech gives your age TO you.
Going to People: k
Places take do; people take k + dative: jdu k doktorovi, k babičce, k Petrovi. Being there is u + genitive (u babičky) — k gets you to the door, u keeps you inside.
Je mi špatně. Bolí mě hlava.
I feel awful. My head hurts.
Jdi k doktorovi!
Go to the doctor!
Ne, jdu k babičce. Má čaj.
No, I'm going to grandma's. She has tea.
To je taky medicína.
That's medicine too.
Common Mistakes
- Já líbím Prahu. The liked thing is the subject: Líbí se mi Praha.
- jí vs ji. Long jí is dative (to her), short ji is accusative (her) — one čárka, two cases.
- do babičky. People take k: k babičce. (Do babičky means something anatomically alarming.)
What You Can Do Now
You can say what you like and how things taste, report feeling cold, sick or great, give anyone's age properly, and visit people with k — the to-me case is on your side.