Breakdown of Мы благодарим вас за гостеприимство.
мы
we
вы
you (plural or formal)
за
for (in exchange for)
благодарить
to thank
Questions & Answers about Мы благодарим вас за гостеприимство.
Why do we use the preposition за here instead of для?
When expressing gratitude or talking about an exchange (like paying for something), Russian uses за followed by the Accusative case. You only use для when meaning "intended for the benefit of" (like a gift for a friend).
Is гостеприимство in the Accusative case here? It looks like the Nominative dictionary form.
Yes, it is in the Accusative case because it follows за for gratitude. Since гостеприимство is an inanimate neuter noun, its Accusative form is identical to its Nominative form.
What is the difference between saying Мы благодарим вас and just using Спасибо?
Благодарить is a verb meaning "to thank." It sounds more formal and polite than the everyday word спасибо (thanks). Because it is a regular verb, it needs a direct object in the Accusative case to show who you are thanking—in this case, вас.
The word гостеприимство is quite long. Is there a trick to remembering it?
Yes, look at its roots! It is a compound word made from гость (guest) and a form of the verb принимать (to receive or accept). So, hospitality in Russian literally means "guest-receiving".