Word
Она подсказала ему, что нужно делать.
Meaning
She suggested to him what needed to be done.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Она подсказала ему, что нужно делать.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
что
what
делать
to do
Questions & Answers about Она подсказала ему, что нужно делать.
Why do we use the Dative case ему after подсказала?
The verb подсказать (to prompt, to help by giving a hint) is a verb of assistance. In Russian, verbs that involve helping, advising, or giving a cue to someone directly take the Dative case without a preposition. So, to say 'she prompted him' we use она подсказала ему.
Does подсказала just mean 'suggested'?
It is a bit more specific than a general suggestion. It comes from the prefix под- (often implying stealth, support, or doing something from below) and сказать (to say). It literally means to prompt, to give a hint, or to feed someone an answer. In this sentence, she is assisting him by telling him the right course of action.
Why doesn't the second half say что он должен делать?
While you could say that, using the impersonal word нужно (it is necessary) is very common and natural in Russian for general instructions. The phrase что нужно делать translates literally as 'what it is necessary to do' or 'what needs to be done'.
Why is делать imperfective when подсказала is perfective?