Breakdown of Вчера сообщили, что актёру не заплатили гонорар.
не
not
актёр
actor
вчера
yesterday
что
that (conjunction)
заплатить
to pay
сообщить
to inform
гонорар
the fee
Questions & Answers about Вчера сообщили, что актёру не заплатили гонорар.
Why are there no pronouns before сообщили and заплатили?
This sentence uses indefinite-personal clauses, which is exactly what you are studying! By dropping они (they) and just using the 3rd-person plural verbs, the focus shifts entirely to the actions (reporting and paying) rather than who performed them.
The English translation says "the actor wasn't paid", which is passive. Why does Russian use the active verb заплатили?
Russian frequently uses this "unspecified they" structure where English relies on the passive voice. Instead of a literal passive like "the actor was not paid", it is much more natural in Russian to say "[they] didn't pay the actor."
If the actor is the one who wasn't paid, why is актёру in the Dative case?
Because the hidden subject is that unspecified "they". The unseen "they" did not pay the fee to the actor. The actor is the recipient of the action, so актёр must take the Dative case.
Can the word гонорар be used for a normal salary?
No, гонорар specifically refers to a fee, royalty, or honorarium paid to professionals for a specific piece of work or performance (like actors, writers, or lawyers). A regular employee's monthly salary is зарплата.
Why doesn't гонорар change its ending, even though it is the direct object being paid?
Гонорар is a masculine inanimate noun. In Russian, the Accusative case (which marks the direct object) looks exactly the same as the Nominative case for inanimate masculine nouns.
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