Breakdown of Агрессия по отношению к коллегам ломает доверие.
коллега
colleague
доверие
trust
ломать
to break
по отношению к
towards (attitude, relation)
агрессия
aggression
Questions & Answers about Агрессия по отношению к коллегам ломает доверие.
Could I just say Агрессия к коллегам instead of using по отношению к?
Yes, you could, but по отношению к (literally "by relation to") is much better suited for describing professional, social, or psychological stances. It sounds more formal and precise than just к (towards), emphasizing the nature of the behavior directed at the colleagues. Both phrases require the target to be in the Dative case.
Which part of по отношению к forces коллегам into the Dative case?
It is the final part, к. The compound preposition is made up of по + Dative (отношению) + к + Dative (коллегам). Whenever you use к to mean "towards," the target of that direction or attitude must take the Dative case.
Is ломать доверие a literal translation of "to break trust", and does it sound natural in Russian?
It is a literal translation, and it sounds perfectly natural! Just like in English, you can physically break an object (ломать стул) or metaphorically break trust (ломать доверие). In very formal business contexts, you might also hear подрывать доверие (to undermine trust) or разрушать доверие (to destroy trust).
Why doesn't the ending of доверие change if it's the direct object of the sentence?
Доверие is indeed in the Accusative case here because it is the direct object (the thing being broken). However, because it is an inanimate neuter noun, its Accusative form is completely identical to its Nominative (dictionary) form.
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