को: Experiencer ~> Recipient

Used for targets of intransitive verbs of cognition, feeling, sensation, and experience.

Note: लगना, in its capacity as an intransitive verb meaning "to feel", can be used for both Experiencer-type events as well as involuntary events (constituting Theme), like getting hurt (चोट लगना).

  • सुनिता
    Sunita
    को
    DAT
    बुख़ार
    fever
    है
    is

    .

    'Sunita has a fever' 001

  • राजा
    king
    को
    DAT
    दुःख
    sadness
    हुआ
    happened

    .

    'The king felt sorrow.' 002

  • मुझको
    I-DAT
    हिंदी
    Hindi
    नहीं
    not
    आती
    comes

    .

    'I do not know Hindi.' 003

  • मुझको
    I-DAT
    यह
    this
    किताब
    book
    पसंद
    liked
    है
    is

    .

    'I like this book.' 004

  • उसको
    he-DAT
    अचानक
    sudden
    से
    INS
    आवाज़
    sound
    सुनाई
    hearing
    दी
    gave

    .

    'Suddenly, he heard a sound.' 005

This includes चाहिए in the sense of wanting.

  • मुझको
    I-DAT
    दूसरी
    other
    किताब
    book
    चाहिए
    is-wanted

    .

    'I want the other book' 006

Used for targets of causative verbs of sensation, cognition, etc. like दिखाना, सुनाना.

  • तुमको
    you-DAT
    एक
    one
    चीज़
    thing
    दिखाना
    to-show
    चाहता
    want
    हूँ
    am

    .

    'I want to show you something.' 007


  1. Narasimhan, 1998 discusses the various functions of the dative, and splits off this kind of Experiencer from Goal and Theme. 

Examples

    TODO

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