Breakdown of У нас есть общие друзья и доверие друг к другу.
и
and
мы
we
друг
friend
у
at, by
есть
is, there is, to have
к
towards, to
друг друга
each other
общий
shared
доверие
trust
Questions & Answers about У нас есть общие друзья и доверие друг к другу.
Why does the preposition к go between друг and другу?
When using the reciprocal pronoun друг друга (each other) with a preposition, the preposition always goes between the two words, never before them. You will see this pattern with all prepositions, for example: друг с другом (with each other) or друг о друге (about each other).
Why do we use к + Dative case here for "in each other"?
In English, we say we have trust in someone. In Russian, the noun доверие (trust) pairs with the preposition к (to/towards), which always requires the Dative case. That is why the second half of the phrase becomes другу.
Why are both друзья and доверие in the Nominative case?
They are the things being "possessed" in the у нас есть (we have) construction. In Russian, this literally translates to "by us is...", making the possessed items the grammatical subjects of the sentence. Therefore, they stay in the Nominative case.
Does общие always mean "shared"?
It has a few related meanings. It can mean "general" (as in a general rule), but when talking about people or things connecting them, like общие друзья (mutual friends) or общие интересы (shared interests), it translates to "shared" or "mutual".
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