Spanish 406
DATIVE AND ACCUSATIVE OBJECTS
The dative and accusative are two of the cases used in Latin to
indicate the function of a noun or pronoun in a given sentence. They are the two objective
cases; that is, they are used for nouns and pronouns that are, in some sense, objects of a
verb. In the simplest terms, the accusative is the direct object that receives the direct
impact of the verb's action, while the dative is an object that is subject to the verb's
impact in an indirect or incidental manner. Accusative objects are used only with
transitive verbs, which are, by definition, capable of taking direct objects. Dative
objects may occur with transitive and intransitive verbs. Transitive verbs sometimes take
accusative and dative objects simultaneously.
Let us see first some simple examples of accusative and dative objects in English. So long
as a sentence contains only one of these objects, the syntax will be simple and
consistent.
Accusative
- Pepe threw the ball.
- I saw her at the party.
- I called her (by telephone).
- We attended the concert and enjoyed the music.
- I want a cheese enchilada.
- I want to leave.
- I know the answer.
- I know [what you did last night].
In all of these declarative sentences containing accusative objects, the word order is:
Subject + Tr Verb + Accusative Object.
This syntax applies regardless of whether the accusative object takes the form of a
simple noun, a pronoun, an infinitive, or a noun clause.
Dative
As a single object noun or pronoun, the dative is less common than the accusative. Even
so, it does occur with some intransitive verbs, and with transitive verbs used
intransitively. Note that the dative objects are sometimes identified by the dative marker
"to" and are sometimes unmarked. In either case the standard declarative word
order is:
Subject + Intransitive Verb + Dative Object
- I spoke to her.
- I didn't know Pepe was there until he called to me.
- Carlos wrote to me.
- I needed to get in touch right away so I e-mailed him.
- I didn't want to keep the news a secret, so I told my mother.
Dative and Accusative Together
More commonly, the English dative appears in combination with an accusative object. In
traditional terminology the two objects are known as "indirect" and
"direct", respectively. This terminology is correct as far as it goes, but in
the case of the dative it may suggest an incomplete definition of the roles the dative
object plays. The term "indirect object" is normally used for datives that are
objects of verbs of transmission and communication: to give, to say, to speak, to send, to
take (to someone), to bring, etc. But many uses of the dative do not involve explicit
transmission or communication. Frequently the person represented by the dative object is
involved in the action in a more marginal manner and does not actually receive a
transmission or communication of the sort represented by the most common dative verbs. The
term "dative" is, therefore, preferable to "indirect object", in that
it includes traditional indirect objects as well as other dative objects whose involvement
in the action is more subtle.
When an English verb takes both a dative and an accusative object, syntax becomes less consistent than when only one object is present. In some cases the dative may be used in either the marked or the unmarked form. Furthermore, a word order that works well in a sentence constructed around one verb sometimes becomes ungrammatical in the same sentence constructed around a different verb.
Consider the following examples (bold =
accusative, italics = dative, * = ungrammatical). What syntactic rules can you
derive from these examples?
- Pepe threw the ball to Juan.
- Pepe threw Juan the ball.
- Pepe threw it to Juan.
- Pepe threw it to him.
BUT:
- * Pepe threw it him.
- * Pepe threw him it.
- * Pepe threw to him it.
- * Pepe threw to Juan the ball.
Other examples that include a traditional dative as indirect object, along with an accusative object:
- My mother told me a story.
- My mother told a story to me.
- My mother told it to me.
BUT:
* - My mother told me it.
- John told Mary a lie.
- John told Mary to leave. .
- John told Mary [that he needed a loan].
- John said to Mary [that he needed a loan].
- John gave Mary the book.
- John gave the book to Mary.
- John gave her the book.
- John gave it to her.
BUT:
* - John gave her it.
* - John gave it her.
- Carmen wrote Carlos a letter.
- Carmen wrote a letter to Carlos.
- Carmen wrote him a letter.
- Carmen wrote a letter to him.
- Carmen wrote it to him.
BUT:
* - Carmen wrote him it.
- My friend brought me the money.
- My friend brought the money to me.
- My friend brought it to me.
BUT:
* - My friend brought me it.
* - My friend brought it me.
- The Secretary of State gave a stern lecture to the committee.
- The Secretary of State gave the committee a stern lecture.
- The Secretary of State delivered a stern lecture to the committee.
BUT:
* - The Secretary of State delivered the committee a stern lecture.
- They promised me [they wouldn't do that again].
-"Hastert insisted to Newsweek [he has the votes to pass the White House's version]." (Newsweek, 7/30/01)
Can you explain why the word order in the starred examples is ungrammatical?
The following are examples of some more subtle uses of the dative: that is, datives
objects that are not the recipients of a clear transmission or communication:
- A group of senators is poised to cause the President trouble.
- Pepe is a good salesman; he has made his company a lot of money.
- I want you to do me a favor.
- Don't do that to me!
BUT:
* - Don't do me that! (Why is this sentence ungrammatical but "Don't give me that!" is not?)
English sometimes marks a dative object with a preposition other than the standard
dative marker "to". Compare:
- He has made his company a lot of money.
- He has made a lot of money for his company.
- I bought Elena a gift.
- I bought a gift for Elena.
- I want you to do me a favor.
- I want you to do a favor for me.
In these examples there is no significant difference of meaning between the sentences
in each of the three pairs.
Why are the marked datives marked with "for" rather than the more common
"to"?
In other cases, however, the use of a preposition other than "to" can
introduce new shades of meaning and can alter the role of the object in such a way that it
ceases to be a dative. Compare:
- He made me a lot of money.
- He made a lot of money for me.
- He made a lot of money off me.
In the first two examples "me" is a true dative object, unmarked in the first sentence and marked by for in the second. But in the third sentence, when for is replaced by the preposition off, there is a major shift of meaning and "me" is no longer a dative object, but simply the object of a preposition.
- He took his father the book.
- He took the book to his father.
- He took the book from his father.
Again, the first two sentences offer examples of true datives, unmarked and marked. But the replacement of "to" by "from" in the third sentence changes the fate of "his father", removes him from the role of dative object, and turns him into the object of a preposition.
- Pepe threw Juan the ball.
- Pepe threw the ball to Juan.
- Pepe threw the ball at Juan.
The same process occurs here. Juan's transformation into the unfortunate object of the
preposition "at" means that he is no longer the recipient of the ball, but
rather its target. As such, he ceases to be a dative object.
Dative and Accusative Objects in Spanish
As in English, accusative objects in Spanish are easily recognizable as the direct objects of transitive verbs. The use of datives, however, differs somewhat from the English usage. In Spanish the syntax of dative constructions has fewer variants than in English. The Spanish dative does have both marked and unmarked forms, and both forms sometimes appear together redundantly in the same sentence. But the marked form is usually optional except when needed for clarification. The difficulty of the Spanish dative from the English-speaker's viewpoint is the wide range of relationships and involvements that can be expressed by the same forms and the same syntax. In Spanish the dative object's involvement in the action must often be discerned from the context, whereas in English it might be clarified by syntactical or lexical means. The Spanish dative is used for a wide range of situations, some of them quite subtle and some of them involving objects which, in English, might not even be considered datives.
If the term "dative" is preferable to "indirect object" in English grammar, it is even more preferable in Spanish grammar. The traditional indirect object accounts for only a small portion of the dative objects that routinely occur in Spanish usage. In addition to the traditional datives of communication and transmission, some of the many involvements expressed by the Spanish dative are:
- Separation: El atracador me quitó el reloj.
- Intended recipient: A mi hijo le voy a comprar un coche.
- Possession: A Pepe le pillé los dedos en la puerta.
- Adornment: Carmen se puso el vestido rojo.
- Appropriation: El rey se ha comprado otro barco de vela.
- Agency: Mañana me
corto el pelo.
- Inconvenience: El coche se me
paró en medio del puente.
- Grief: Se me ha muerto la
novia.
- Consumption: El perro se
comió el jamón.
Since Spanish datives are frequently reflexive, they will be treated in more detail in the
unit devoted to reflexive and pseudo-reflexive pronouns.
Exercise
Translate the above Spanish sentences to English. Then translate all the English examples to Spanish. Note the frequent differences in the ways in which the two languages identify the dative object and define its role in the sentence.
Translate to English:
1. El atracador me quitó el reloj.
2. A mi hijo le voy a comprar un coche.
3. A Pepe le pillé los dedos en la puerta
4. Carmen se puso el vestido rojo.
5. El rey se ha comprado otro barco de vela.
6. Mañana me corto el pelo.
7. El coche se me paró en medio del puente.
8. Se me ha muerto la novia.
9. El perro se comió el jamón.
Translate to Spanish
1. Pepe threw the ball.
2. I saw her at the party.
3. I called her.
4. We attended the concert and enjoyed the music.
5. I want to leave.
6. I know what you did last night.
7. I spoke to her.
8. I didn't know Pepe was there until he called to me.
9. Carlos wrote to me.
10. I needed to get in touch right away so I e-mailed him.
11. I didn't want to keep the news a secret so I told my mother.
12. Pepe threw the ball to Juan.
13. Pepe threw Juan the ball.
14. Pepe threw it to Juan.
15. Pepe threw it to him.
16. Pepe threw the ball at Juan.
17. My mother told me a story.
18. My mother told a story to me.
19. My mother told it to me.
20. John told Mary a lie.
21. John told Mary that he needed a loan.
22. John said to Mary that he needed a loan.
23. John gave Mary the book.
24. John gave the book to Mary.
25. John gave her the book.
26. John gave it to her.
27. Carmen wrote Carlos a letter.
28. Carmen wrote a letter to Carlos.
29. Carmen wrote him a letter.
30. Carmen wrote a letter to him.
31. Carmen wrote it to him.
32. My friend brought me the money.
33. My friend brought the money to me.
34. My friend brought it to me.
35. The Secretary of State gave the committee a stern lecture.
36. The Secretary of State gave a stern lecture to the committee.
37. The Secretary of State delivered a stern lecture to the committee.
38. They promised me they wouldn't do that again.
39. Hastert insisted to Newsweek he has the votes to pass the White House's version.
40. A group of senators is poised to cause the President trouble.
41. Pepe is a good salesman; he has made his company a lot of money.
42. I want you to do me a favor.
43. I want you to do a favor for me.
44. Don't do that to me!
45. He has made his company a lot of money.
46. He has made a lot of money for his company.
47. I bought Elena a gift.
48. I bought a gift for Elena.
49. He made me a lot of money.
50. He made a lot of money for me.
51. He made a lot of money off me.
52. He took his father the book.
53. He took the book to his father.
54. He took the book from his father.
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