How the recipient is marked
How do we show who gets something or who something is done for?
المعنى
Languages mark the link between an action and the person who receives something or has something done for them. This lets us tell that person apart from the thing given, sent, or made. The link may use word order, a separate word, or an ending; some languages have no special recipient ending. Recipient and beneficiary describes the person's role, while How the recipient is marked looks at how the sentence shows that role.
طريقة التعرّف عليه
Find the receiver or the person helped, then look at the position, word, or ending that links them to the action.
في اللغة الأم
Arabic marks recipients with لِـ or إلى, depending on the verb and how the transfer is presented. Some verbs, such as أعطى, can take both the recipient and the thing given as objects without a preposition. لِـ also marks a beneficiary, someone for whom an action is done.
أعطيتُ ليلى دفترًا جديدًا. (Aʿṭaytu Laylā daftaran jadīdan.)
With أعطى, the recipient can be an object without a preposition.
أرسلتُ الصورةَ إلى أخي. (Arsaltu al-ṣūrata ilā akhī.)
إلى marks the person toward whom the transfer is directed.
اشتريتُ خبزًا لجارتي. (Ishtaraytu khubzan li-jāratī.)
لِـ marks the person who benefits from the purchase.
في اللغة قيد التعلم
English can mark a recipient with to and someone benefiting with for. With verbs such as give, send, and buy, the person can also come before the thing: give Ben a book or buy Ben a book. This two-object pattern is not available with every verb; explain, for example, uses explain something to someone.
Lily gave Ben a sandwich.
The receiver comes before the thing given, without to.
Lily gave a sandwich to Ben.
The receiver comes after the thing and is introduced by to.
I bought a notebook for my sister.
For marks the person the notebook was bought for.
Learners whose language uses the same ending or word for recipients and beneficiaries may confuse to and for. Learners whose language marks the person the same way with many verbs may assume that every English verb allows the give me a book order.