On Prophetic Dreams
Latin Grammar: Indirect Object
Contingit autem aliquibus hominibus quod haec virtus imaginativa sit creata in illis fortissima et praevalens, ita ut non dominentur ei sensus nec formalis resistat ei.
The dative is used to express the indirect object of a verb; that is, a person who is affected by the verb's action but who is not the direct object of the verb. This can be seen above in the phrase non dominentur ei: "they do not have power over it." Many compound verbs (verbs with a prepositional prefix like con- or ad-) take a dative object. This can be seen above in the phrase contingit aliquibus hominibus: "it happens to some people."
Exercise: Fill in the correct form of the words below.