Breakdown of Почему вы начислили им по десять очков?
вы
you (plural or formal)
они
they
почему
why
десять
ten
по
each (distributive)
очко
point (games, sports)
начислить
to award (points, money, perfective)
Questions & Answers about Почему вы начислили им по десять очков?
According to our lesson, doesn't 'по' take the Dative case for numbers 5 and up? Why is it 'по десять' here?
While strict traditional grammar dictates using the Dative case for numbers 5 and above (which would be по десяти), modern spoken and written Russian overwhelmingly prefers the Accusative case for these numbers. Therefore, по десять is the standard, natural way to say 'ten each' today.
Why is the noun 'очков' in the Genitive plural? Shouldn't 'по' affect the noun's case too?
The preposition по only dictates the case of the number itself (десять). Because the number is functioning in the Accusative case here, the standard number rules take over for the noun. Any noun following an Accusative number 5 or higher must be in the Genitive plural, resulting in по десять очков.
What exactly does the verb 'начислили' mean in this context, and when else is it used?
Начислить is a perfective verb that means to credit, award, or add an amount to someone's total. It is highly common for awarding points in a game or sport, as well as in finance for crediting money, bonuses, or interest to a bank account.
Why do we use the pronoun 'им' rather than the Accusative 'их'?
Им is the Dative form of они (they). It acts as the indirect object of the verb начислили. Just like in English when you 'award points TO someone', Russian uses the Dative case to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of the action.
Learn Почему вы начислили им по десять очков and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free