Dative plural: komu? czemu?

What you’re learning: Dative plural (Celownik liczby mnogiej) = -om

In this unit you practise the dative plural in Polish. It usually answers:

• To whom? / For whom? (Polish: komu? czemu?)
• Very often after verbs like: pomagać (to help), dziękować (to thank), ufać (to trust), wierzyć (to believe), mówić (to tell/say), dawać (to give), życzyć (to wish), szkodzić (to harm)

Good news: for most nouns, the dative plural ending is simply -om (all genders).

How to build it: add -om to the plural stem

Practical shortcut: if you can say the plural idea (“to the people/things”), you often just need -om.

When to use it: typical verb patterns (no preposition)

These Polish verbs often take dative directly (no “to” in Polish):

• Pomagam urzędnikom. = I help (the) officials.
• Dziękuję urzędnikom za pomoc. = I thank the officials for the help.
• Ufam kolegom z pracy. = I trust my colleagues from work.
• Wierzę tym zaświadczeniom. = I believe these certificates.
• Mówię sąsiadom o spotkaniu. = I tell the neighbours about the meeting.
• Życzę dzieciom zdrowia. = I wish the children health.
• To szkodzi zwierzętom. = This harms animals.

Notice: English often uses a preposition (“to”, “for”), but Polish often uses the case ending instead.

Common confusion: nominative plural vs. dative plural

After these verbs, you cannot use the “subject form” (nominative). Compare:

• Oni są urzędnikami. (not our target here) = They are officials. (instrumental)
• Pomagam urzędnicy. (wrong)
• Pomagam urzędnikom. (correct: dative plural)

So in exercises, don’t ask “Who/what?” Ask: To whom? → -om.

Spelling & form checklist (quick self-check)

1. Find the verb: pomagać / dziękować / ufać / wierzyć / mówić / dawać / życzyć / szkodzić.
2. Ask: “to whom? for whom?” (komu? czemu?).
3. Make it plural (you mean more than one person/thing).
4. Add -om: urzędnik → urzędnikom, wniosek → wnioskom, podanie → podaniom.
5. Final check: does the sentence still make sense with “to/for” in English? If yes, dative is likely correct.

What to pay attention to in real-life contexts (office Polish)

• Dziękuję urzędnikom za pomoc. (email / at the counter)
• Muszę nadać wnioskom numer sprawy. (assign a case number to applications)
• Pomagam podaniom, bo sprawdzam… (I help with the applications by checking…)
• Wierzę tym zaświadczeniom z urzędu skarbowego. (I accept/believe these certificates from the tax office)

Takeaway: If your verb “points” to a recipient (people or documents receiving an action), Polish often expresses it with dative plural -om.