Polish dative exercises

When to use the dative (Celownik)

The receiver: who something is given, sent or said to, and who it is done for. A handful of everyday verbs (help, trust, thank) always take it.

Question: komu? czemu?

• 'pomagać' always takes the dative.

  Pomagam ojcu.

  I'm helping my father.

• 'ufać' always takes the dative.

  Ufam matce.

  I trust my mother.

• The indirect object (the receiver) takes the dative.

  Daję prezent dziecku.

  I'm giving a present to my child.

• 'dziękować' always takes the dative.

  Dziękuję mężczyźnie za pomoc.

  I thank the man for the help.

• The beneficiary of the action takes the dative.

  Kupuję kwiaty kobiecie.

  I'm buying flowers for the woman.

• 'przyglądać się' always takes the dative.

  Przyglądam się domowi.

  I'm looking closely at the house.

• The person the action is done for takes the dative.

  Robię zdjęcie mamie.

  I'm taking a photo of my mum.

• 'przeszkadzać' always takes the dative.

  Nie przeszkadzaj rodzinie!

  Don't disturb my family!

• With 'podobać się' the person who likes takes the dative.

  Ten prezent podoba się bratu.

  My brother likes this present.

• The receiver of the message takes the dative.

  Powiedz to panu.

  Tell that to the gentleman.

• 'życzyć' always takes the dative.

  Życzę sąsiadowi miłego dnia.

  I wish my neighbour a nice day.

• 'dzięki' (thanks to) always takes the dative.

  Dzięki człowiekowi wszystko się udało.

  Thanks to the person everything worked out.

• 'dać jeść' (to feed) takes the dative of the one being fed.

  Daję jeść kotu.

  I'm feeding the cat.

• The person you do something for takes the dative.

  Gotuję obiad synowi.

  I'm cooking dinner for my son.

• 'odpowiadać' (to answer someone) takes the dative.

  Odpowiadam studentowi.

  I'm answering the student.

• 'wierzyć' (to believe someone) takes the dative.

  Wierzę nauczycielowi.

  I believe the teacher.

• The person you introduce someone to takes the dative.

  Przedstawiam cię mężowi.

  I'm introducing you to my husband.

• 'zazdrościć' always takes the dative.

  Zazdroszczę koledze.

  I envy my friend.

• 'ufać' takes the dative, and it stays dative after 'nie': only an accusative object turns genitive.

  Nie ufam szefowi.

  I don't trust the boss.

• The person you give your hand to takes the dative.

  Podaję rękę lekarzowi.

  I'm shaking hands with the doctor.

• With 'smakować' the person who enjoys the taste takes the dative.

  Zupa smakuje przyjacielowi.

  My close friend likes the soup.

• 'współczuć' always takes the dative.

  Współczuję siostrze.

  I feel sorry for my sister.

• 'ku' (towards, a literary word) always takes the dative.

  Szliśmy ku miastu.

  We were walking towards the city.

• 'przeciwko' (against) always takes the dative.

  Nie mam nic przeciwko psom.

  I have nothing against dogs.

• 'wbrew' (against someone's will) always takes the dative.

  Robię to wbrew żonie.

  I'm doing it against my wife's wishes.

• The person or thing you devote time to takes the dative.

  Poświęcam dużo czasu pracy.

  I devote a lot of time to work.

• In 'przyznać komuś rację' (to admit someone is right) the person takes the dative.

  Przyznaję rację córce.

  I agree with my daughter.

• The person you owe something to takes the dative.

  Zawdzięczam wszystko tacie.

  I owe everything to my dad.

Dative endings

The dative next to the nominative for five model nouns, one for each set of endings: masculine personal, masculine animate, masculine inanimate, feminine and neuter.

How these exercises work

• Each question is a real Polish sentence with a gap, and its English meaning above it.
• Choose the answer, or switch to Type to write it yourself (the Polish letters are on buttons under the gap).
• After every answer you see the right form, the full sentence and the rule behind it.
• Rounds of ten, as many as you like, with new sentences each time. Free, with no sign-up.
• The full rules for every case are in the cases guide.