Multiple recipients
Dative plural marks a set of recipients; the transferred theme keeps its own case and number.
- Plural on the recipient does not force plural on the theme: показать гостя́м музе́й has many viewers but one museum. Number is chosen independently for each noun phrase.
- Two independent number choices: дать студе́нтам кни́гу; дать студе́нту кни́ги; дать студе́нтам кни́ги are all structurally possible with different intended quantities.
| Sentence | Recipients | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Учитель дал студе́нтам кни́ги. | студе́нтам | кни́ги |
| А́нна посла́ла друзья́м пи́сьма. | друзья́м | пи́сьма |
| Врач дал де́тям ле́карства. | де́тям | ле́карства |
| Мы показа́ли гостя́м музе́й. | гостя́м | музе́й |
Mini-check
1. Build: Give the children a book. 2. Can a plural recipient receive one object grammatically?
Apply this next
- Retrieve the rule without looking, then continue to the next lesson.