Breakdown of Преподаватель объясняет нам.
нам
to us
объяснять
to explain
преподаватель
teacher (university)
Questions & Answers about Преподаватель объясняет нам.
Why do we use нам here instead of мы or нас?
нам is the Dative case form of мы (we). In Russian, the person receiving information or an action (the 'to whom' part of the sentence) takes the Dative case. So 'explains to us' becomes объясняет нам.
Do I need to add a Russian word for 'to' before нам?
No. In English we say 'explains TO us', but in Russian, that 'to' direction is already built right into the Dative case form нам. Adding an extra preposition here would be incorrect.
I previously learned учитель for 'teacher'. Why does this sentence use преподаватель?
Both words mean 'teacher', but they are used in different settings. учитель is usually a schoolteacher who teaches children, while преподаватель is typically used for higher education, like a university lecturer, college instructor, or an adult language tutor.
Why does the verb объясняет end in -ет?
This is the regular present tense ending for a 'he' or 'she' subject. Because the subject doing the action, преподаватель (the teacher), is one person, the verb changes from its dictionary form объяснять (to explain) and takes the -ет ending.
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