Breakdown of Благодаря первому тренеру наша команда получила кубок.
наш
our (наш, наша, наше)
первый
first (1st)
получить
to receive (perfective)
тренер
coach
команда
team
благодаря
thanks to
кубок
cup (trophy, goblet)
Questions & Answers about Благодаря первому тренеру наша команда получила кубок.
Why do we say первому тренеру instead of первый тренер?
The phrase is triggered by the preposition благодаря (thanks to), which always requires the Dative case. Because of this, the whole noun phrase первый тренер must change to its Dative form.
How does the ordinal number первый change to первому here?
Ordinal numbers decline exactly like adjectives. Since тренер is a masculine noun, the ordinal number первый (first) takes the standard masculine Dative adjective ending -ому, resulting in первому.
Does благодаря come from the verb благодарить (to thank)?
Yes! It literally translates to "thanking" (as a verbal adverb). However, it has evolved into a standard preposition meaning "thanks to." Remember that as a preposition, благодаря always takes the Dative case, which is why we use первому тренеру instead of the Accusative.
Why does кубок (cup) look like it is in the Nominative case if it is the thing being received?
It is actually in the Accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb получила (received). For inanimate masculine nouns like кубок, the Accusative form looks exactly the same as the Nominative dictionary form.
Learn Благодаря первому тренеру наша команда получила кубок 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