Dative case...

[apollotiger.livejournal.com]

Hi. I have a question on the dative case.

In Latin, you could omit a preposition (such as "to" or "for") in the dative case, and it would be implied... e.g. "Sibi dixi" is "I talked [to] him." Is it this way in Russian? Can I say "Я говорил ему, «Нет.»", or does it have to have a preposition in there somewhere?

Similarly... does using the instrumental or prepositional case by itself mean anything in particular?

EDIT: Also... does говорить just mean 'to say,' or can it mean 'to speak?'

Comments

[apollotiger.livejournal.com]

Ah, is it reflexive? I had a feeling there was something I was forgetting about sibi/se

[gaidheal.livejournal.com]

...It should also be the verb loqui, not dicere. Dicere is to say; loqui is to speak.