Dative with Special Verbs: Latin Grammar

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GrammarDative with Special Verbs

Dative with Special Verbs

A&G §367–368|4 rules|0 practice questions

A short, closed list of Latin verbs takes the dative where English would take a direct object: placēre, parcēre, nocēre, persuādēre, imperāre, crēdere, favēre, studēre, cōnfīdere, ignōscere, indulgēre, invidēre, irascī, minārī, suādēre.

Caesar writes Allobrogibus imperāvit — "he gave orders TO the Allobroges," not Allobrogēs imperāvit.

The verbs in this list once meant something more oblique — invidēre literally "to look askance AT," suādēre "to make a thing pleasant TO" — so the person on the receiving end stays in the dative.

The trap is real: students cheerfully write Caesarem persuāsit and lose easy points. Memorize the chant, then ask the dative question every time you meet one of these verbs.

Learnings0 core · 1 AP claim

AP framework claims (1)— verbatim from AP CED

GRAM-2.SThere are special verbs that govern nouns in the dative (e.g., persuadeo, impero, propinquo, credo), ablative (e.g., potior, utor), or genitive (e.g., obliviscor, potior) cases. These nouns are often translated into English as the direct objects of these verbs.

Pattern

[special verb] + DATIVE (not accusative)

e.g. imperāre alicui, parcere alicui, crēdere alicui

Closed List of Verbs Governing the Dative

About fifteen verbs of favoring, harming, pleasing, trusting, commanding, pardoning, and the like put their object in the dative — because the Latin retained an intransitive sense.

The English translation looks transitive ("he ordered them," "he persuaded them"), but the Latin is intransitive — "he gave orders TO them." Memorize the list.

The Closed List — Verbs That Govern the Dative

placēre — to be pleasing to

ire placet — "it pleases [them] to go" (Verg. Aen. xi. 230)

critical

parcere — to spare, be sparing to

parce piō generī — "spare the pious race" (Verg. Aen. iii. 42)

critical

nocēre — to harm, do harm to

multa oculīs nocent — "many things are injurious to the eyes" (A&G § 367)

critical

persuādēre — to persuade, make pleasant to

cīvitātī persuāsit ut … exīrent (B. G. i. 2)

critical

imperāre — to command, give orders to

Allobrogibus imperāvit ut … (B. G. i. 28)

critical

crēdere — to believe, trust

neque dē Labiēnō crēdidit quidquam — "he did not believe anything about Labienus" (B. C. i. 7)

critical

favēre — to favor, support

favēre … Helvētiīs — "to favor the Helvetians" (B. G. i. 18)

important

studēre — to be eager for, devote oneself to

novīs rēbus student — "they are eager for revolution" (B. G. iii. 10)

important

cōnfīdere — to trust (in)

huic legiōnī cōnfīdēbat maximē (B. G. i. 40)

critical

ignōscere — to pardon, forgive

īgnōsce patriō dolōrī — "forgive a father's grief" (Liv. iii. 48)

important

indulgēre — to be indulgent toward, show favor to

huic legiōnī … indulserat praecipuē (B. G. i. 40)

important

invidēre — to envy (lit. "look askance at")

cūr mihi invidēs? — "why do you envy me?" (A&G § 367)

important

irascī — to be angry at

Caesarī irāscēbantur — "they were angry at Caesar"

common

minārī — to threaten (a person)

vōbīs … minentur — "they threaten you" (Cic. Font. 35)

common

suādēre — to urge, advise (lit. "sweeten to")

suādēre alicuī — to urge upon someone

common

See It In Action

Allobrogibus imperāvit ut iīs frūmentī cōpiam facerent

he ordered the Allobroges to supply them with grain

— B. G. i. 28

English "he ordered the Allobroges" makes Allobroges feel like a direct object — but the Latin is Allobrogibus in the dative. Imperāre literally is "to give orders TO," so the recipient stays dative.

cīvitātī persuāsit ut dē fīnibus suīs … exīrent

he persuaded the state to march out from their territory

— B. G. i. 2

Persuādēre is the highest-frequency trap on the list. It means "to make a thing sweet TO someone," so the person persuaded sits in the dative — cīvitātī, never cīvitātem.

huic legiōnī Caesar et indulserat praecipuē et propter virtūtem cōnfīdēbat maximē

Caesar had both shown special favor to this legion and trusted it most of all on account of its courage

— B. G. i. 40

Two special-verb datives ride one noun: indulserat and cōnfīdēbat both govern huic legiōnī. Cōnfīdere is dative for a person; for a thing it would be ablative.

parce piō generī

spare the pious race

— Verg. Aen. iii. 42

Parcere literally means "to be sparing TO," so the thing spared lands in the dative — piō generī, not pium genus. Vergil keeps that intransitive feel even in poetry.

Special Verb + DATIVE vs. Look-alike + Accusative

The Latin verb decides the case, not the English translation. Some near-synonyms take the accusative — and students mix the two lists constantly.

Special verbs (DATIVE)

intransitive in Latin — recipient in dative

Caesarī persuāsit

he persuaded Caesar (dat.)

Look-alike verbs (ACCUSATIVE)

iuvō, iubeō, laedō, dēlectō stayed transitive

Caesarem iūvit

he helped Caesar (acc.)

Tip: Ask: is the verb on the special-verb list (placēre, parcere, nocēre, persuādēre, imperāre, crēdere, favēre, studēre, cōnfīdere, ignōscere, indulgēre, invidēre, irascī, minārī, suādēre)? If yes, recipient = dative. If it's iuvō / iubeō / laedō / dēlectō, recipient = accusative.

Quick Check

In Caesar Allobrogibus imperāvit ut frūmentum darent, why is Allobrogibus in the dative rather than the accusative?

Study Tips

•Memorize the list as a single rhythmic chant — placēre, parcēre, nocēre, persuādēre, imperāre, crēdere, favēre, studēre, cōnfīdere, ignōscere, indulgēre, invidēre, irascī, minārī, suādēre. When any of them appears, ask the dative question first.
•Translate them with their literal Latin sense — imperāre = "give orders TO," invidēre = "look askance AT," parcere = "be sparing TO" — and the dative will feel inevitable instead of surprising.
•Watch the counter-list iuvō, iubeō, laedō, dēlectō — same English meanings, but accusative. Drill the two lists side by side.
•Cōnfīdere takes dative for persons (huic legiōnī cōnfīdēbat) but ablative for things (nātūrā locī cōnfīdēbant). Don't fight the split.

Learnings0 core · 1 AP claim

AP framework claims (1)— verbatim from AP CED

See It In Action

Allobrogibus imperāvit ut iīs frūmentī cōpiam facerent

he ordered the Allobroges to supply them with grain

— B. G. i. 28

cīvitātī persuāsit ut dē fīnibus suīs … exīrent

he persuaded the state to march out from their territory

— B. G. i. 2

Persuādēre is the highest-frequency trap on the list. It means "to make a thing sweet TO someone," so the person persuaded sits in the dative — cīvitātī, never cīvitātem.

huic legiōnī Caesar et indulserat praecipuē et propter virtūtem cōnfīdēbat maximē

Caesar had both shown special favor to this legion and trusted it most of all on account of its courage

— B. G. i. 40

Two special-verb datives ride one noun: indulserat and cōnfīdēbat both govern huic legiōnī. Cōnfīdere is dative for a person; for a thing it would be ablative.

parce piō generī

spare the pious race

— Verg. Aen. iii. 42

Parcere literally means "to be sparing TO," so the thing spared lands in the dative — piō generī, not pium genus. Vergil keeps that intransitive feel even in poetry.

Study Tips

•Memorize the list as a single rhythmic chant — placēre, parcēre, nocēre, persuādēre, imperāre, crēdere, favēre, studēre, cōnfīdere, ignōscere, indulgēre, invidēre, irascī, minārī, suādēre. When any of them appears, ask the dative question first.

•Translate them with their literal Latin sense — imperāre = "give orders TO," invidēre = "look askance AT," parcere = "be sparing TO" — and the dative will feel inevitable instead of surprising.

•Watch the counter-list iuvō, iubeō, laedō, dēlectō — same English meanings, but accusative. Drill the two lists side by side.

•Cōnfīdere takes dative for persons (huic legiōnī cōnfīdēbat) but ablative for things (nātūrā locī cōnfīdēbant). Don't fight the split.