Dative case facts

• Least common of the noun cases
• Seems it's most commonly used with people/animate things, i.e. I gave to (dative), I wrote to (dative), (dative) likes something, (dative) needs something, (dative) can, etc.
• Fem nouns take the prepositional ending. Masc nouns take the у/ю ending that I associate with fem nouns in accusative. Also similar to prepsotional case, the plural has only two endings regardless of gender (ами, ями; whereas its ах and ях in prepositional).

Uses of dative case

• Main use is indirect object of verbs. Certain verbs, including most verbs of speaking and communicating, and many which have a sense of giving (give (to), write (to), phone (to), bring (to))
• With Нравиться - the one who does the liking is in dative.
• With Нужен - who does the needing is in dative.
• To express age (the one who'se age takes the dative, i.e. Мне 38 лет )
• After prepositions к 'towards'/to (a person) and по 'along', 'according to'

Verbs of the Dative Case

• оворить/сказать 'to say', 'to tell' ( to someone)
• рассказывать/рассказать 'to tell (a story)' ( to someone)
• давать/дать 'to give' ( to someone)
• приносить/принестя 'to bring' ( to someone)
• помогать/помочь 'to help'
• разрешать/разрешить 'to permit'
• Советоват 'to advise' ( to someone)
• Звонить 'to make a phone call to'
• etc...

Prepositions of the Dative Case

• по (along, according to, many other meanings)
• к(о) (toward someone/something)
• вопреки (Despite*)
• наперекор (contrary to*)
• благодаря (thanks to*)
• согласно (in accord with*)

* these prepositions are far less common. по and к are most common to see with dative.

How to Decline

Singular

Note : Nouns ending in а, я (regardless of gender), and fem nouns ending in ь, take the prepositional case ending.

1. у / ю :

   • Masc nouns ending in consonant: add у
   • Neuter ending in о: replace with у

   • Masc nouns ending in  й  or  ь , and neuter ending in  е : replace with  ю

2. е : Nouns ending in  а  and  я  -- regardless of gender -- replace with  е  (unless  ия , see 4.) (just like prepositional)  

3. и : Fem nouns ending in  ь , replace wtih  и  (just like prepositional)  

4. ии : Nouns ending in  ая , replace  ая  with  ии  (just like prepositional)  

5. мя : The 10 neuter nouns ending in  мя (время, имя, пламя, семя, стрёмя, темя, вымя, знамя, бремя, племя),  replace  мя  with  мени