Breakdown of Это свобода, которую государство предлагает каждому гражданину.
это
this / it is
каждый
every
предлагать
to offer
который
which / who / that (relative pronoun)
государство
the state
гражданин
the citizen
свобода
freedom
Questions & Answers about Это свобода, которую государство предлагает каждому гражданину.
Why does this sentence use каждому (every) instead of любому (any) or всему (all)?
Каждому stresses that the state offers this freedom to each and every individual citizen. If we used любому (any), it would mean the state offers it to whichever citizen you pick, implying a random choice rather than a universal guarantee. Всему (all/the whole) doesn't work here because it means the entire thing (e.g., the whole citizen), whereas 'to all citizens' would require the plural всем гражданам.
Why is it каждому гражданину and not the dictionary form каждый гражданин?
The verb предлагать (to offer) takes the Dative case for the recipient of the offer (offering something TO someone). Therefore, the masculine noun гражданин changes to гражданину, and its modifier каждый takes the masculine Dative ending, becoming каждому.
Why is the relative pronoun for 'which' (которую) in the Accusative case here?
The relative pronoun который takes its gender and number from the noun it refers to, which is the feminine свобода (freedom). However, its case depends on its job in its own part of the sentence. Since the state is offering the freedom, the pronoun acts as the direct object of the verb предлагает, so it must take the Accusative case (которую).
Свобода is a feminine noun, so why does the sentence start with Это instead of Эта?
In this sentence, Это acts as an independent pronoun meaning 'This is'. When used to introduce or point something out, it always stays in the fixed neuter form это, regardless of the gender of the noun that follows. If you wanted to say 'This freedom' as a single phrase, you would use the word as an adjective and it would match the gender: Эта свобода.
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