Breakdown of Ты должен добавить сахар к четырёмстам граммам муки.
ты
you (singular)
сахар
sugar
мука
flour
грамм
gram
должен
must, have to
к
towards, to
четыреста
four hundred
добавить
to add
Questions & Answers about Ты должен добавить сахар к четырёмстам граммам муки.
How do we get the form четырёмстам from четыреста?
Why are четырёмстам and граммам in the dative case here?
They are in the dative case because they follow the preposition к (to). The verb добавить (to add) pairs with к + dative to show what you are adding the sugar to.
Wait, don't big numbers usually force the following noun into the genitive case? Why is it граммам (dative) instead of граммов (genitive)?
This is a very common trap! Numbers only force the following noun into the genitive when the number itself is in the nominative or accusative case (e.g., четыреста граммов). When a sentence forces the number into an oblique case like the dative, that rule turns off. Instead, the noun simply agrees with the number's case. Since the number is dative (четырёмстам), the noun must also be dative plural (граммам).
Why doesn't the word сахар change its ending? Isn't it the direct object being added?
It is the direct object, so it is in the accusative case. However, сахар (sugar) is a masculine inanimate noun. For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative form looks exactly like the dictionary (nominative) form, so it doesn't change.
Why is мука (flour) in the form муки?
Муки is in the genitive case, which is used here to show possession or composition, translating to "of flour." It modifies the grams to tell us what the grams consist of (граммам муки = grams of flour).
Learn Ты должен добавить сахар к четырёмстам граммам муки and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free