Breakdown of Анна сейчас отправляет письмо брату.
брат
brother
письмо
letter
сейчас
now
Анна
Anna
отправлять
to send
Questions & Answers about Анна сейчас отправляет письмо брату.
Why does the sentence use брату instead of брат?
Брату is in the Dative case, which is used for the indirect object (the person receiving something). Since Anna is sending the letter to her brother, the masculine noun брат takes the -у ending.
Why didn't письмо change its ending if it is the thing being sent?
The thing being sent (the direct object) takes the Accusative case. For neuter nouns like письмо, the Accusative case looks exactly the same as the basic dictionary form.
The English translation says 'to her brother'. Why is there no word for 'her' in the Russian sentence?
In Russian, possessive pronouns like 'her' or 'his' are often left out when it is obvious from the context. Since Anna is doing the sending, it is naturally assumed she is writing to her own brother.
Learn Анна сейчас отправляет письмо брату and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free