Breakdown of Мы купили кошке когтеточку, чтобы она не царапала диван.
кошка
the cat
купить
to buy
не
not
мы
we
Questions & Answers about Мы купили кошке когтеточку, чтобы она не царапала диван.
Why is кошке in the dative case?
Because кошка is the recipient/beneficiary of the thing being bought.
In Мы купили кошке когтеточку, the structure is basically:
- Мы = we
- купили = bought
- кошке = for the cat / to the cat
- когтеточку = a scratching post
Russian often uses the dative case where English uses for:
- купить ребёнку игрушку = to buy a child a toy
- сварить другу кофе = to make a friend coffee
So кошке means for the cat, not the cat as a direct object.
Why is когтеточку in the accusative case?
Because it is the direct object of купили — it is the thing that was bought.
The dictionary form is когтеточка. In the sentence, it becomes когтеточку because feminine nouns ending in -а / -я usually change to -у / -ю in the singular accusative:
- книга → книгу
- машина → машину
- когтеточка → когтеточку
So:
- кошке = for the cat
- когтеточку = the scratching post