Transfer: recipient plus theme
Many transfer verbs combine a dative recipient with an accusative thing transferred.
- The recipient is not a direct object simply because a person is affected. Russian marks the two roles separately: кому? dative, что? accusative.
- Role map: agent nominative → transferred theme accusative → recipient dative. Word order may change, but case keeps the roles visible.
| Sentence | Dative recipient | Accusative theme |
|---|---|---|
| Я дал бра́ту кни́гу. | бра́ту | кни́гу |
| Она́ посла́ла А́нне письмо́. | А́нне | письмо́ |
| Мы показа́ли студе́нту музе́й. | студе́нту | музе́й |
| Врач дал ребёнку ле́карство. | ребёнку | ле́карство |
Mini-check
1. Build: Anna gave her brother a book. 2. Identify both objects: Я показа́л врачу́ зда́ние.
Apply this next
- Retrieve the rule without looking, then continue to the next lesson.