Personal Pronouns in Dative
Dative pronouns are essential - you use them constantly for expressing "to me," "for you," "to him," etc.
Quick Reference
| Person | Nominative | Dative (short) | Dative (long) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | já | mi | mně |
| you (sg.) | ty | ti | tobě |
| he | on | mu | jemu/němu |
| she | ona | jí | jí/ní |
| it | ono | mu | jemu/němu |
| we | my | nám | nám |
| you (pl.) | vy | vám | vám |
| they | oni/ony | jim | jim/nim |
Short vs Long Forms
Czech has short (clitic) and long (stressed) forms:
| Short (unstressed) | Long (stressed) | |
|---|---|---|
| to me | mi | mně |
| to you | ti | tobě |
| to him | mu | jemu |
| to her | jí | jí |
| to us | nám | nám |
| to you (pl) | vám | vám |
| to them | jim | jim |
When to Use Which?
- Short forms = normal, everyday usage
- Long forms = emphasis, contrast, after prepositions
Dám ti to. (I'll give it to you - normal) Dám to tobě, ne jemu! (I'll give it to YOU, not him! - emphasis)
After Prepositions: Add N-
After prepositions, third-person pronouns add n-:
| Without preposition | After preposition |
|---|---|
| Dám mu to. | Jdu k němu. |
| Dám jí to. | Jdu k ní. |
| Dám jim to. | Jdu k nim. |
Examples
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Jdu k němu. | I'm going to him. |
| Díky ní. | Thanks to her. |
| Kvůli nim. | Because of them. |
| Proti němu. | Against him. |
First Person: Já → Mi/Mně
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mi | short, common | Dej mi to. |
| mně | long, emphatic, after prep. | Dej to mně! / Ke mně. |
Examples
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Dej mi to. | Give it to me. |
| Pomoz mi. | Help me. |
| Je mi zima. | I'm cold. |
| Líbí se mi to. | I like it. |
| Řekni mi to. | Tell me. |
| Mně to nedávej! | Don't give it to ME! (emphatic) |
| Přijď ke mně. | Come to me. |
Second Person: Ty → Ti/Tobě
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ti | short, common | Dám ti to. |
| tobě | long, emphatic, after prep. | Dám to tobě! / K tobě. |
Examples
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Dám ti to. | I'll give it to you. |
| Pomůžu ti. | I'll help you. |
| Jak je ti? | How are you? |
| Chutná ti to? | Do you like it? (food) |
| Řeknu ti pravdu. | I'll tell you the truth. |
| Tobě nerozumím! | I don't understand YOU! |
| Díky tobě! | Thanks to you! |
| Jdu k tobě. | I'm going to you. |
Third Person: On/Ona/Oni
He/It: On/Ono → Mu/Jemu/Němu
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mu | short, common | Dám mu to. |
| jemu | long, emphatic | Dám to jemu! |
| němu | after preposition | Jdu k němu. |
She: Ona → Jí/Ní
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| jí | without preposition | Dám jí to. |
| ní | after preposition | Jdu k ní. |
They: Oni/Ony → Jim/Nim
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| jim | without preposition | Dám jim to. |
| nim | after preposition | Jdu k nim. |
Examples
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Dám mu knihu. | I'll give him the book. |
| Pomáhám jí. | I'm helping her. |
| Řekni jim to. | Tell them. |
| Jdu k němu. | I'm going to him. |
| Díky ní. | Thanks to her. |
| Kvůli nim jsem pozdě. | Because of them I'm late. |
| Jemu nerozumím. | I don't understand HIM. |
Formal "You": Vy → Vám
When addressing someone formally:
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Dám vám to. | I'll give it to you (formal). |
| Pomůžu vám. | I'll help you (formal). |
| Jak je vám? | How are you? (formal) |
| Děkuji vám. | Thank you (formal). |
| Jdu k vám. | I'm going to you (formal). |
Word Order
Short dative pronouns follow specific word order rules:
Clitic Order
Short pronouns come after the first stressed element:
- Dám ti to. ✓
- Ti dám to. ✗ (short form can't start sentence)
- Tobě to dám! ✓ (long form can start for emphasis)
Order: Dative before Accusative
When you have both dative AND accusative pronouns, dative comes first:
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Dám ti ho. | I'll give it (him) to you. |
| Dám mu ji. | I'll give her to him. |
| Řekni mi to. | Tell it to me. |
Reflexive: Si/Sobě
The reflexive pronoun si (to oneself) in dative:
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| si | short, common | Koupím si auto. |
| sobě | long, emphatic | Koupil to sobě, ne mně! |
Common Uses of "Si"
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Koupím si knihu. | I'll buy myself a book. |
| Dej si pozor! | Be careful! (lit. "give yourself attention") |
| Dám si kávu. | I'll have coffee. |
| Vezmi si! | Help yourself! (Take for yourself!) |
| Myslím si, že... | I think that... |
| Pamatuj si! | Remember! |
With Dative Verbs
| Verb | Example with Pronoun |
|---|---|
| pomáhat | Pomáhám mu. (I help him.) |
| věřit | Věřím ti. (I believe you.) |
| rozumět | Nerozumím jim. (I don't understand them.) |
| děkovat | Děkuji vám. (I thank you.) |
| líbit se | Líbí se mi to. (I like it.) |
| chutnat | Chutná ti to? (Do you like it?) |
| vadit | Vadí mi to. (It bothers me.) |
| chybět | Chybíš mi. (I miss you.) |
Impersonal Expressions
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Je mi zima. | I'm cold. |
| Je ti teplo? | Are you warm? |
| Je mu špatně. | He feels sick. |
| Je jí líto. | She's sorry. |
| Je nám dobře. | We feel good. |
| Je vám horko? | Are you hot? (formal) |
| Je jim smutno. | They're sad. |
Common Phrases
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Dej mi vědět. | Let me know. |
| Řekni mi... | Tell me... |
| Pomoz mi! | Help me! |
| Chybíš mi. | I miss you. |
| Je mi líto. | I'm sorry. |
| Těší mě. | Nice to meet you. |
| Jak se ti daří? | How are you doing? |
| Stalo se mu něco? | Did something happen to him? |
| Co ti je? | What's wrong with you? |
Summary Table
| Person | After Verb | After K | After Díky/Kvůli |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | mi | ke mně | díky mně |
| you | ti | k tobě | díky tobě |
| he | mu | k němu | díky němu |
| she | jí | k ní | díky ní |
| we | nám | k nám | díky nám |
| you (pl) | vám | k vám | díky vám |
| they | jim | k nim | díky nim |
Practice
Replace the noun with a pronoun:
- Dám to Petrovi. → Dám to ___.
- Pomáhám mamince. → Pomáhám ___.
- Jdu k bratrovi. → Jdu k ___.
- Díky Evě jsem vyhrál. → Díky ___ jsem vyhrál.
- Řekni to rodičům. → Řekni to ___.
- Kvůli studentům jsem pozdě. → Kvůli ___ jsem pozdě.
Check Answers
- Dám to mu. (to him)
- Pomáhám jí. (to her)
- Jdu k němu. (to him - after preposition)
- Díky ní jsem vyhrál. (to her - after preposition)
- Řekni to jim. (to them)
- Kvůli nim jsem pozdě. (them - after preposition)
Common Mistakes
Watch Out!
❌ Dám jemu to (long form in normal sentence) ✅ Dám mu to (short form for normal usage)
❌ Jdu k mu (short form after preposition!) ✅ Jdu k němu (n- form after preposition)
❌ Díky ji (wrong form!) ✅ Díky ní (n- form after preposition)
❌ Ti dám to (short form starting sentence!) ✅ Dám ti to (correct word order)
Next Steps
- Singular Endings - Noun forms
- Prepositions - k, díky, kvůli, proti
- Exercises - Practice with pronouns