Breakdown of И директор, и сотрудники имеют равные права.
и
and
директор
director
сотрудник
employee
право
right; law
иметь
to have, to possess
равный
equal
Questions & Answers about И директор, и сотрудники имеют равные права.
Why does this sentence use имеют instead of the usual у ... есть structure for 'having'?
While Russian normally uses the у [genitive] есть [nominative] structure for physical possession (like У меня есть собака - I have a dog), the verb иметь (to have) is commonly used for abstract concepts. You will often see иметь used with abstract nouns like право (right), возможность (opportunity), or значение (meaning).
What does the double и ... и ... mean at the beginning of the sentence?
The structure и [A], и [B] is a very common way to say 'both [A] and [B]'. In this sentence, И директор, и сотрудники translates directly to 'Both the director and the employees'.
What case is равные права in, and why?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb иметь (to have). Because право (right) is a neuter, inanimate noun, its accusative plural looks exactly the same as its nominative plural: равные права.
How would this sentence change if I wanted to say 'Every employee has equal rights' to practice the current lesson?
You would use каждый (every/each), which emphasizes individuals one by one. The sentence would become Каждый сотрудник имеет равные права. Notice that сотрудник and the verb имеет must both switch to the singular form when paired with каждый.
Could I use любой (any) instead of каждый (every) to say 'Any employee has equal rights'?
Yes, but it changes the nuance slightly. Любой сотрудник имеет равные права means 'any employee' has equal rights (emphasizing that it doesn't matter which one you pick). In statements about universal rules, каждый (every), любой (any), and все (all) often result in the same practical meaning, but любой focuses on that 'free choice' aspect of picking anyone at random.
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