Breakdown of Она благодарит мужа за понимание.
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
муж
husband
за
for (in exchange for)
благодарить
to thank
Questions & Answers about Она благодарит мужа за понимание.
Why doesn't понимание change its ending after за?
The preposition за (for) used for gratitude requires the Accusative case. Because понимание (understanding) is an inanimate neuter noun, its Accusative form is identical to its Nominative dictionary form.
Why is the husband in the Accusative case (мужа) instead of the Dative?
When you use the verb благодарить (to thank), the person being thanked is the direct object, so they take the Accusative case. You only use the Dative case when you express thanks using the word спасибо (e.g., спасибо мужу).
Since мужа is in the Accusative case, why does it end in -а?
Муж is an animate masculine noun (a living being). In Russian, the Accusative case for animate masculine nouns copies the Genitive case endings, which is why we add an -а.
What is the perfective equivalent of the verb благодарить?
The perfective form is поблагодарить. You would use it if you wanted to emphasize a single, completed act of thanking someone in the past or future.