Before you read this post, you might want to review our introduction to the dative case in Russian, where we cover how to form the dative case and provide an overview of all this case’s uses. This post will focus only on its most common use: indirect objects.
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How to use the dative case for indirect objects in Russian?
By: Alisa Vereshchagin, Isabel McKay Fri Feb 28 2025
In Russian, we use the dative case for the indirect object of a sentence. An indirect object is a noun that is affected, but not directly affected, by the action of a verb. Some examples of indirect objects might be a recipient of a gift, someone you do a favor for, or someone who experiences an event through their senses.
In this post, we’ll discuss the various types of indirect objects in Russian, then go through some verbs that often have indirect objects. Ready to have a look? Let’s go!
Tip
Table of Contents
What are indirect objects in Russian?
In Russian, an indirect object is usually a noun that receives something or benefits from an action. These are nouns that could be preceded by “to” or “for” in English. Indirect objects are different from direct objects which directly undergo the action of a verb. Here’s an example to illustrate the difference:
indirect objectdirect object
I sent Millie a letter.
→ Millie receives the letter. Think: “I sent a letter to Millie.”
I baked Millie a cake.
→ Millie may not actually receive the cake, but she benefits from my baking the cake. Think: “I baked a cake for Millie.”
Some Russian sentences will have an indirect object without a direct object. For example:
indirect object
Мы помогаем маме каждый день.
my pamaGAyem MAmye KAZHdyi dyen.
We help mother every day.
→ Mother receives help, so маме is an indirect object.
In Russian, indirect objects are generally in the dative case. Let’s look at some Russian examples now!
Recipient of an object
The most classic use of an indirect object is for the recipient of an object that is being moved from place-to-place.
dative caseМы отправили посылку нашей бабушке.
my atPRAveeli paSYLkoo NAshey BAbooshkye.
We sent a parcel to our grandmother.
Ирина написала письмо президенту.
eeREEna napiSAla pisMO preziDENtoo.
Irina wrote a letter to the president.
Эти цветы мне подарил мой молодой человек.
eti tsveTY mnye padaREEL moy malaDOY cheloVEK.
These flowers were given to me by my boyfriend.
How to address a letter?
When you address an envelope in Russia, you put the recipient’s name on the envelope in the dative case. Why? Because we expect that person to receive the letter! Here’s an example:
куда:
г. Волгоград
ул. Березовская
дом 6 кв. 239
кому:
Балабанову Борису Сергеевичу
Did you notice that, in Russia, the name of the recipient appears at the end of the address?
Though usually the recipient of an object is a person, it can sometimes be a location, organization, business, etc.
Музей передал экспонаты Церкви.
mooZYEY pereDAL ekspaNAty TSERKvi.
The museum transferred the exhibits to the church.
Recipient of something abstract
It’s possible for the indirect object to receive something abstract: words, inspiration, a solution etc.
Твой блог мне дал новое вдохновение.
tvoy blok mnye dal NOvaye vdakhnaVYEniye.
Your blog gave me new inspiration.
Влад подсказал Людe как решить сложную задачу.
Vlat patskaZAL LYUdye kak riSHYT SLOzhnooyu zaDAchoo.
Vlad gave Lyuda a hint as to how to solve the challenging problem.
Recipient of a message
When you’re using verbs of communication, the “recipient” of the message will often an indirect object in the dative case.
Я назвал ему свое имя.
ya nazVAL YEmu SVOye EEMya.
I told him my name.
Important
Not all verbs used for communication will require the use of dative case. For example спросить[spraSEET](to ask), as well as предупредить[pridoopriDEET](to warn), take the accusative case instead.
Beneficiaries
In some cases, the indirect object may benefit from the action without actually receiving a direct object. For example:
Я испекла ей торт.
ya iSPEKla ey tort.
I baked her a cake.
Experiencers
Sometimes, the indirect object doesn’t necessarily benefit from or receive anything, but just experiences something.
Bолшебник нам показал фокус.
valSHEBnik nam pakaZAL FOkoos.
The magician showed us a magic trick.
What are some Russian verbs that take indirect objects?
The chart below lists some common Russian verbs that take indirect objects in the dative case. Most of these involve giving something or communicating something, or doing something for someone’s benefit.
Verb | Example |
|---|---|
давать / дать daVAt / dat to give (generic) | dative case Алексей даёт цветы маме. alikSYEY daYOT tsviTY MAmye. Aleksey gives flowers to his mother. |
помогать / помочь pamaGAT / paMOCH to help | Мы помогаем маме каждый день. my pamaGAyem MAmye KAZHdyi dyen. We help mother every day. |
прощать / простить praSHCHAt / prasTEET to forgive | Я прощаю Лене её капризы. ya praSHCHAyu LYEnye yeYO kapREEzy. I forgive Lena for her tantrums. |
звонить / позвонить zvaNEET/pazvaNEET to call | Она звонит Полине каждый день. aNA zvaNEET paLEEnye KAZHdyi dyen. She calls Polina every day. |
писать / написать piSAT/napiSAT to write | Я писала письма моему мужу, когда он пять месяцев был в Германии. ya piSAla PEEsma maiMOO MOOzhoo kagDA on pyat MYEsyatsev byl v girMAnii. I wrote letters to my husband while he was in Germany for five months. |
дарить / подарить daREET / padaREET to give (as a gift) | Муж мне подарил цветы на четырнадцатое февраля. moosh mnye padaREEL tsviTY na chiTYRnatsataye fivraLYA. My husband gifted me flowers on the fourteenth of February. |
говорить / сказать gavaREET / skaZAT to talk, say | Всегда говори нам правду! fsigDA gavaREE nam PRAVdoo! Always tell us the truth! |
рассказывать / рассказать raSKAzyvat / raskaZAT to tell | Бабушка рассказала внуку очень интересную историю. BAbooshka raskaZAla VNOOkoo Ochen intiRYESnooyu isTOriyu. The grandmother told her grandson a very interesting story. |
подсказывать / подсказать padSKAzyvat / padskaZAT to hint, to tell | Подскажи мне как сказать “спасибо” по Французски. padskaZHI mnye kak skaZAt “spaSEEba” pa franTSOOski. Tell me how to say “thank you” in French. |
советовать / посоветовать saVYEtavat / pasaVYEtavat to advise | Мои коллеги мне посоветовали купить японскую машину. maEE kaLYEgi mnye pasaVYEtavali kooPEET yiPONskooyu maSHYnoo. My colleagues advised me to buy a Japanese car. |
показывать / показать paKAzyvat / pakaZAT to show | Покажи нам как ты танцуешь. pakaZHY mnye kak ty tanTSUyes. Show us how you dance. |
объяснять / объяснить obyisNYAT / obyisNEET to explain | Профессор объяснил студентам теорию Эйнштейна. praFYEsar abyisNEEL stooDYENtam tiOriyu eynshTEYna. The professor explained Einstein’s theory to the students. |
отправлять / отправить atpravLYAT / atPRAvit to send | Кому вы отправляете посылку? kaMOO vy atpravLYAitye paSYLkoo? To whom are you sending the package? |
идти / пойти idTEE / paiTEE to suit / to look good | Тебе очень идёт новое черное платье. tibYE Ochen iDYOT NOvaye CHOrnaye PLATye. The new black dress really suits you. |
хватать / хватить khvaTAT / khvaTEET to be enough | Мне тебя не хватает. mnye tibYA nye khvaTAyet. I miss you. lit. There is not enough of you for me. |
Tip
You may recall that it’s possible to give the intended recipient or beneficiary of any noun by describing it with a noun in the dative case. This is true even in a sentence without a verb that takes an indirect object. For example:
noundative case
Вам письмо.
vam pisMO.
There's a letter for you.
Follow the link to see some more examples of noun phrases like this.
In conclusion
In this post, we discussed how the dative case in Russian is used for indirect objects. In particular, we saw that:
An indirect object is a noun that is affected, although not directly, by the action of a verb in the sentence. Usually this means that the noun:
receives something
benefits from the action
experiences or perceives the action
Several Russian verbs are often used with indirect objects. In particular:
verbs of giving like давать
verbs of communication like рассказывать
verbs of benefit like помогать
Think you’ve got it? Try practicing using indirect objects in Russian by downloading the activities below!
