Breakdown of Бабушка помогает нам как няня.
бабушка
grandmother
помогать
to help
нам
to us
как
as (in comparisons)
няня
nanny
Questions & Answers about Бабушка помогает нам как няня.
Why is няня in the nominative case here?
When you use как to mean 'in the capacity of' or 'as', the noun that follows it must be in the same case as the noun it refers back to. Here, няня describes Бабушка, which is the subject of the sentence and in the nominative case. Therefore, няня also takes the nominative case.
Could I use в качестве in this sentence instead of как?
Yes! You could say Бабушка помогает нам в качестве няни. The phrase в качестве also means 'as' or 'in the capacity of', but it always forces the next noun into the genitive case, which is why няня changes to няни.
Why is it нам instead of нас?
The verb помогать (to help) always requires the dative case for the person receiving the help. Нам is the dative form of мы (we), whereas нас would be the accusative or genitive form.
Would the meaning change if I put a comma before как?
Yes, adding a comma changes the meaning entirely. Without a comma, the sentence means she is actually acting in the role of a nanny. If you wrote Бабушка помогает нам, как няня, the comma makes it a comparison meaning 'Grandmother helps us, just like a nanny would.'
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