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Questions & Answers about Я дам тебе адрес завтра.
Why does дам mean “will give” without any form of буду?
Russian uses the present tense of perfective verbs to express a single, completed future action. Дать is perfective, so я дам = “I will give.” You cannot say буду дать. If you want a repeated/ongoing future, use the imperfective: я буду давать (“I will be giving / will give repeatedly”).
What’s the difference between дать and давать?
- Дать (perfective): one-time, completed act. Example: Я дам тебе адрес завтра.
- Давать (imperfective): process, habit, or repeated action. Example: Я буду давать тебе адреса каждый день.
Why is it тебе and not тебя?
Because the recipient of “giving” is in the dative case. Дать кому? — тебе (dative). The thing given is in the accusative: дать что? — адрес.
What case is адрес in, and why doesn’t it change?
Accusative (direct object). For masculine inanimate nouns like адрес, the accusative form is identical to the nominative, so it stays адрес.
Do I need to say свой to mean “my address”?
If you mean specifically “my address,” it’s clearer to say свой: Я дам тебе свой адрес завтра. Without свой, адрес is just “the/an address” understood from context.
Can I drop я?
Yes. Russian often omits subject pronouns when the verb form makes the subject clear: Дам тебе адрес завтра.
Can I change the word order?
Yes; Russian word order is flexible for emphasis:
- Neutral: Я дам тебе адрес завтра.
- Emphasizing time: Завтра дам тебе адрес.
- Emphasizing the recipient: Тебе я дам адрес завтра.
- Emphasizing what is given: Адрес я дам тебе завтра. All are grammatical; choose based on what you want to highlight.
Where can завтра go?
Common placements:
- End: …адрес завтра (neutral).
- Beginning: Завтра… (emphasizes time).
- Before the verb: …завтра дам… Avoid splitting set phrases unnaturally; otherwise it’s quite free.
How would I say this politely/formally?
Use вам instead of тебе (formal singular or plural): Я дам вам адрес завтра. Add пожалуйста for politeness if asking or offering in context.
Is дам the only form I need to know? How does дать conjugate?
Present/future (perfective):
- я дам, ты дашь, он/она даст, мы дадим, вы дадите, они дадут Past: дал (m), дала́ (f), дало́ (n), да́ли (pl) Imperative: дай, да́йте
How do I say “Give me the address, please”?
Use the imperative: Дай мне адрес, пожалуйста. (informal) / Дайте мне адрес, пожалуйста. (formal/plural)
Could I say “I’ll send you the address” instead?
Yes, and it’s often more natural in modern contexts:
- Я пришлю/вышлю тебе адрес. (I’ll send you the address.)
- Colloquial: Я скину тебе адрес. (I’ll drop you the address.)
Is скажу okay with адрес?
Yes: Я скажу тебе адрес (“I’ll tell you the address”) or more formal сообщу тебе адрес (“I’ll inform you of the address”). Use these when you’re conveying the information rather than physically handing something over.
Any pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?
Roughly: [ya dam tʲɪˈbʲe ˈadres ˈzaftrə]
- тебе́ is stressed on the last syllable.
- а́дрес is stressed on the first.
- In за́втра, the cluster sounds like
Why not say на завтра?
Завтра alone is the adverb “tomorrow” for when the action happens. На завтра means “for/by tomorrow” (a deadline or plan), e.g., задание на завтра (“homework for tomorrow”), which is a different meaning.
How would this change if I address more than one person or speak formally?
Change the dative pronoun to вам:
- Я дам вам адрес завтра. Everything else stays the same.