The dative case is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the indirect object of a verb. It often answers the questions "to whom?" or "for whom?" something is given, said, or done. For example, in the sentence "I gave Maria a book," Maria is in the dative case because she is the recipient of the book. In languages like German and Russian, the dative case has specific endings or forms that change depending on the noun's gender and number. Understanding the dative case is essential for proper sentence structure and meaning in these languages.