Breakdown of Благодаря новым ботинкам я не боюсь скользких улиц.
не
not
я
I
улица
street
новый
new
бояться
to be afraid
ботинок
boot, sturdy shoe
благодаря
thanks to
скользкий
slippery
Questions & Answers about Благодаря новым ботинкам я не боюсь скользких улиц.
Why is "new boots" in the dative case (новым ботинкам)?
The preposition благодаря (thanks to) always requires the dative case. This is tricky because the verb it comes from, благодарить (to thank), takes the accusative case (e.g., я благодарю маму - I thank mom). The preposition, however, needs the dative.
Why is "slippery streets" (скользких улиц) in the genitive case?
The verb бояться (to be afraid of) always takes the genitive case for the thing you fear. Here, the nominative plural скользкие улицы changes to the genitive plural скользких улиц.
Why doesn't улиц have an ending here?
Улица is a feminine noun that ends in -а. In the genitive plural, most feminine and neuter nouns drop their final vowel, leaving what's called a "zero ending." That's why улица becomes just улиц.
Can I use благодаря if I want to say "because of" something bad?
Usually, no. Благодаря literally comes from "giving thanks" (благо + дарить), so it is used for positive reasons, much like "thanks to" in English. If you want to say "because of" something negative (like an accident or bad weather), use из-за plus the genitive case instead.
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