Questions & Answers about Я помогаю им как консультант.
Why is консультант in the Nominative case here?
When you use как to mean 'as a' or 'in the role of', the noun after it copies the case of the person or thing it refers to. Here, it refers back to Я (I), which is the subject of the sentence in the Nominative case. Therefore, консультант is also Nominative.
Can I use в качестве instead of как in this sentence?
Yes! You can say Я помогаю им в качестве консультанта. Remember that the phrase в качестве always requires the following noun to be in the Genitive case, which is why it becomes консультанта. Both versions mean the exact same thing, though как is slightly more common in everyday speech.
Why do we use the Dative pronoun им instead of the Accusative их?
The verb помогать (to help) always takes its object in the Dative case in Russian. You can think of it as giving help 'to' someone. So, we must use the Dative им rather than the Accusative их.
Why isn't there a comma before как?
In Russian, you generally do not put a comma before как when it means 'in the role of' or 'in the capacity of'. Commas are mostly used before как when it introduces a direct comparison, such as 'He is as smart as a professor'.