Breakdown of Согласно вашей просьбе, мы вчера подписали договор.
мы
we
ваш
your [formal/plural]
вчера
yesterday
договор
contract / treaty
подписать
to sign
согласно
according to
просьба
request
Questions & Answers about Согласно вашей просьбе, мы вчера подписали договор.
Why are the words вашей просьбе in the Dative case?
The preposition согласно (according to) strictly requires the Dative case in modern Russian. Therefore, the feminine noun просьба and its modifier ваша change to their Dative forms: вашей просьбе.
I sometimes hear native speakers use the Genitive case with согласно. Is that correct?
Could I say по вашей просьбе instead of согласно вашей просьбе?
Yes! По вашей просьбе (at your request) also takes the Dative and means essentially the same thing. Согласно sounds a bit more formal and professional, which fits the context of signing a business contract perfectly.
Why is there a comma after просьбе?
In Russian, extended introductory phrases starting with prepositions like согласно, вопреки (contrary to), or благодаря (thanks to) are usually set off by a comma when they appear at the very beginning of a sentence.
Since the action happened in the past (вчера), why do we use the perfective verb подписали instead of the imperfective?
While вчера (yesterday) sets the time, the focus of this sentence is on the successful result of a single, completed action: the contract is now signed. When emphasizing a definitive result rather than a background process, you must use the perfective aspect.
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