Download Dative of Purpose and Reference

The “Double Dative” (aka Dative of Purpose + Dative of Reference)
The “Double Dative”
 The “Double Dative” is a grammatical construction referring to the use of two
dative cases in one clause, consisting of a dative of purpose and a dative of
reference.
o The dative of reference can appear (and often does) without a dative of
purpose.
o In such a case, of course, you would not have a “double dative.”
 “Double Dative” is not quite a case usage like “Indirect Object” or “with
Special Adjectives” or “Agent” (with a passive periphrastic). Think of it
more as a nickname.
Dative of Purpose (vid. Ch. 40)
 This is a dative that expresses the purpose of the subject in a noun form.
 It is also called the “Dative of End.” (cf. “The end justifies the means”)
 A fairly typical list of words illustrating the dative of purpose includes:
o auxiliō (“as an aid to/for” / “to aid”)
o curae (“as a care to/for” / “to care”)
o impedimentō (“as a hindrance to” / “to hinder”)
o praesidiō (“as a guard to/for”/ “to guard”)
o subsidiō (“as a help to/for” “to help”)
o usuī (“as an advantage to/for”)
o donō (“as a gift to/for”)
o īnsidiīs (“as a trap for”)
o cordī (“to be dear to”/“to please”)
 Notice that these nouns often have a corresponding verb. “As a care”
corresponds with curō, -āre, “to care for”; “as a hindrance” corresponds with
impediō, -īre, “to hinder.”
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The “Double Dative” (aka Dative of Purpose + Dative of Reference)
Dative of Reference (vid. Ch. 40)
 The dative of reference is used when the dative depends not on any one
particular word (such as is the case with Dative following special adjectives
like amīcus, fidēlis, idoneus, and similis or verbs like crēdō and noceō) but
on the general meaning of the sentence.
o It is often called the “Dative of Advantage or Disadvantage,” because it
denotes the person or thing for whose benefit (i.e. advantage) or to
whose prejudice (i.e. diadvantage) the action of the verb is performed.
o There are other ways to understand the Dative of Reference as well, as it
also expresses the person from whose point of view an opinion is stated
or a situation or a direction is defined.
 E.g. Erit ille mihi semper deus . “He will always be a god to me
(i.e. in my regard, in my view).”
 E.g. Platō mihi ūnus instar est centum mīlium. “To me (i.e. in
my opinion), Plato alone is worth a hundred thousand.”
 With a dative of purpose, the dative of reference shows to whom or what
the purpose applies. In this combination, this is what is called the “double
dative.”
o nostra māter mittere plūs pecūniae subsidiō nōbīs nōn vult. “Our
mother does not wish to send more money as an aid to us.”
o Caesar auxilia ferre porcōs pullōsque cibō suīs legiōnibus iussit.
“Caesar ordered the auxiliary troops to bring pigs and chickens as food
for his legions.”
o relinquam hunc caprum ad āram munerī deīs potentibus. “I will
leave this goat at the altar as an offering to the mighty gods.”
o pōns fractum impedimentō nūllī sit! “Let this (having been) broken
bridge be a hindrance to no one!”
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