Я сказал другу, что идёт дождь.

the friend

Breakdown of Я сказал другу, что идёт дождь.

• я: I
• дождь: the rain
• что: that

Questions & Answers about Я сказал другу, что идёт дождь.

Why is другу in the dative case instead of the accusative?

Because the verb сказать takes its recipient (the person you tell something to) in the dative case. You say something “to” someone, and Russian marks that “someone” with the dative.

Why is there a comma before что?

The comma separates the main clause (Я сказал другу) from the subordinate clause (что идёт дождь). In Russian, you always put a comma before что when it introduces indirect speech or a content clause.

What exactly does что do in this sentence? Is it like English “that”?

Yes. Here что is a conjunction meaning “that,” linking the act of saying to the content of what was said (“that it’s raining”).

Why do we say идёт дождь instead of using a verb like льёт or пошёл?

идёт дождь is the neutral, impersonal way to express “it’s raining” (ongoing rain) in Russian.

• льёт (“it’s pouring”) is more colloquial and emphasizes heavy rain.
• пошёл (“it started to rain”) focuses on the moment rain began, not the fact that it’s currently happening.

Why is дождь in the nominative case?