Benefactive case

The benefactive case expresses that the referent of the noun it marks receives the benefit of the situation expressed by the clause. This meaning is often incorporated through dative case. In Latin, this type of dative is called the dativus commodi.

Cross-linguistic examples

Basque

Basque has a benefactive case ending in -entzat, from the genitive -en and essive -tzat.

Quechua

Quechua is another example of a language with the benefactive case. Some researchers have argued that the benefactive and genitive cases, both marked with the ending -paq, have become indistinguishable. The following example is from Cuzco Quechua:

Pi-paq-taq

Who-BEN-EMP

chay

that

punchu-ta-ri

poncho-ACC-CNTR

awa-sha-nki

weave-PR-2SG

“For who are you weaving that poncho?”

Tangkhul-Naga

Tangkhul-Naga (from the Tibeto-Burman group of languages) has the benefactive case marker . The case marker comes from the combining the genitive case marker -wùi and the suffix -vaη.

Aymara

In Aymara, the benefactive case is marked with -taki, expressing that the referent of the inflected noun benefits from the situation expressed by the verb, or, when there is no verb, that the noun to which it attaches is a recipient, as in the word below:

khuchijanakatakiw.

khuchi

pig

-ja

-1.POSS

-naka

-PL

-taki

-BEN

-w(a)

-DECL

'for my pigs'

Tamil

In Tamil, the benefactive case is shown using "உக்காக" (ukkaaka), showing that the predicate of the clause was done or intended for the inflected noun. When there is no verb, the clause means that the subject exists for the inflected noun.

For example:

இந்த தோசை கண்ணனுக்காக செய்தேன்.

Intha

thosai

Kannanukkaaka

caeythaen.

I made this dosai for Kannan.

Benefactive meaning may also be marked on the verb, in a common type of applicative voice.