A2 · U07

Cui îi dai?

The Dative for Recipients and People

The Vibe

Who are you giving it to?

You write to a friend, give a notebook to a teacher, send a message to your mother, and show a photo to a colleague. `A2_U07` introduces the dative not as a dry case, but as transfer language: who you give, write, show, or send something to.

By the end of this unit you can

  • answer the question `to whom?` in simple everyday lines
  • use the forms `unui`, `unei`, `-lui`, `-ei`
  • build lines with `a da`, `a scrie`, `a arăta`, `a trimite`
  • talk about giving an object, a message, or information

Dative case map

The key is to feel the action moving toward a person. Not just `a message`, but `a message to your mother`; not just `a gift`, but `a gift to a friend`.

Type Form Example
муж. с `un` unui Scriu unui coleg.
жен. с `o` unei Dau un cadou unei prietene.
опред. муж. -lui Arăt poza profesorului.
опред. жен. -ei Trimit un mesaj mamei.

Grammar Hack

Think direction, not case labels

If the action moves toward a person, the dative is often the right tool: give, show, send, explain.

`unui / unei` work best as pairs

Memorize them as ready-made chunks: `unui coleg`, `unei prietene`.

`-lui / -ei` live in very common words

`profesorului`, `mamei`, `Mariei` start sounding natural quite quickly.

The topic works best in mini-scenes

A gift, a photo, a letter, a message, a book, an explanation: all of these make the dative come alive.

Start from the verb

Begin with `dau / scriu / arăt / trimit`, then add the recipient.

Where the topic comes alive right away

messages and writing

The dative works very naturally through texting, e-mail, and short everyday actions.

  • Scriu unui coleg.
  • Trimit un mesaj mamei.
  • Spun adevărul Mariei.

objects and information

The topic becomes easy to feel when you pass something physical or informational to someone.

  • Dau un cadou unei prietene.
  • Arăt poza profesorului.
  • Explic regula copilului.

Verbs and recipients

  • a da
  • a scrie
  • a arăta
  • a trimite
  • a spune
  • unui coleg
  • unei prietene
  • profesorului
  • mamei
  • Mariei

Ready-made phrases

  • Dau un cadou unei prietene.
  • Scriu unui coleg.
  • Arăt poza profesorului.
  • Trimit un mesaj mamei.
  • Spun adevărul Mariei.

Nice to Know

The dative is easiest to absorb not through an abstract table, but through social gestures: who you give, write, send, or explain something to. That makes the topic usable in real speech very quickly.

The Real Deal

  • ● matching: what goes to whom
  • ● sorting: `unui / unei / -lui / -ei`
  • ● fill-in: the correct recipient form
  • ● a mini dialogue about a message, a gift, or a photo

Shadowing & Audio

Here it is important to hear the dative as a whole chunk: not just `unei`, but `unei prietene`; not just `-lui`, but `profesorului`.

Flashcards

The flashcards are built around ready-made recipient chunks and very frequent dative phrases.

Checkpoint

  • ✓ I can say who I give or send something to.
  • ✓ I can use `unui / unei / -lui / -ei` in simple lines.
  • ✓ I can describe a short everyday scene with a recipient.

Flashcards

1 / 20
Dau un cadou unei prietene.
I give a gift to a friend
Scriu unui coleg.
I write to a colleague
Arăt poza profesorului.
I show the photo to the teacher
Trimit un mesaj mamei.
I send a message to my mother
Spun adevărul Mariei.
I tell the truth to Maria
unui coleg
to a colleague
unei prietene
to a female friend
profesorului
to the teacher
mamei
to mother / to my mother
Mariei
to Maria
tatălui
to the father
fratelui
to the brother
surorii
to the sister
vecinului
to the neighbor
a oferi
to offer
Oferi unui prieten o invitație.
I offer a friend an invitation
unui prieten
to a friend
Arăt unei fete fotografia.
I show a girl the photo
unei fete
to a girl
a arăta
to show

Exercises

Which dative form is it?

Sort the recipient chunks by form type.

unui coleg
unei prietene
profesorului
mamei
unui copil

Dative Match

Match the situation with the correct dative phrase.

I give a gift to a friend
I write to a colleague
I show the photo to the teacher
I send a message to my mother

Dative Fill

Insert the correct dative form.

Scriu ___ coleg.
Dau un cadou ___ prietene.
Arăt poza profesor___.
Trimit un mesaj mam___.
Spun adevărul Mari___.

Dative Response

Read the cue and give a short line with the recipient.

I show the rule to the child
I tell the truth to Maria
I send an email to the teacher

Dative Repair

Fix the lines: the recipient form is missing.

Dau un cadou prietenă. Scriu coleg. Trimit un mesaj mama.

Pick the Dative

Choose the correct dative form for the recipient.

Dau un cadou ___ prietene.

Scriu ___ coleg.

Arăt poza ___.

Trimit un mesaj ___.

Spun adevărul ___ copil.

Sort by Gender

Classify dative nouns by gender.

profesorului
colegului
copilului
mamei
prietenei
femeii

Repair Recipients

Fix the sentences: restore correct dative forms.

Dau un cadou prietena. Scriu coleg și spun adevărul profesore. Trimit un mesaj mama și femeie din bloc.

Mini Recipient Talk

Build a short talk with the dative.

1.Say who you are writing to today.

2.Say who you want to show a photo to.

3.Say who you will send a message to.

Practice saying this out loud.