Learn Hardcore Russian: Рецепт записан в книге, которую подарил мне друг. - The recipe is written in the book that my friend gave me.

Why is the relative pronoun которую in the accusative case when the noun it refers to, книга, appears in the prepositional case in the phrase в книге?

In the main clause, книга is governed by the preposition в and appears in the prepositional case (в книге). However, within the relative clause, the same book is the direct object of the verb подарил, which requires the accusative case. Russian relative pronouns take the case needed by their function in the subordinate clause, so которую is correctly in the accusative.

What role does мне play in the sentence?

Мне is the dative form of я and it marks the indirect object of the verb подарил. It indicates to whom the book was given, corresponding to the English phrase "to me."

How does the participle записан function in this sentence, and what does its use imply?

Записан is a short passive participle that means "written" or "recorded." It serves as the predicate in the main clause to describe the state of the recipe. Its passive form emphasizes the result—that the recipe is written down in the book—without focusing on an agent performing the action.

Why does the case of the noun книга seem to change between the main clause and the relative clause?

In the main clause, the noun appears as part of the prepositional phrase в книге (due to the requirements of the preposition в). In contrast, in the relative clause, the antecedent (the book) takes on a different grammatical role as the direct object of подарил. Hence, its reference through the relative pronoun uses the accusative case (которую). This difference illustrates that, in Russian, the case of a relative pronoun is determined by its function within the subordinate clause rather than the form of its antecedent in the main clause.

Is the word order in the relative clause которую подарил мне друг fixed, or can it be rearranged, and how would that affect the sentence's emphasis?

Russian syntax allows for considerable flexibility in word order. For example, the clause could be rearranged as которую мне подарил друг without changing the core meaning. However, different orders can subtly shift the emphasis—placing друг at the end might highlight the person who gave the gift, while positioning мне more prominently could stress the recipient. The provided order is a stylistic choice that balances clarity and emphasis.