D03
extended
Relations
Relations between participants
Recipient Link
To whom does it go or for whom is it intended?
intermediate
Dative
Indirect object
Benefactive
Meaning
The grammatical link that connects an event or object to a recipient, addressee, or beneficiary.
How to spot it
Look for the person who receives, hears, gets, or benefits.
Examples
Words
to me|for you|her|the customer
Phrases
give it to me|tell Anna|cook for us
Sentence
I sent her a message.
Visual guide
Basic shape
EVENT + THING → RECIPIENT send + message → her "I sent her a message." Recipient gets/hears/benefits Ask: to whom? for whom?
Compare shape
Recipient shapes: Preposition: give it to me Bare object: tell Anna Dative case: Anna-DAT tell Benefactive: cook for us Same link: target person
Language View
In your native language
English
Presence
strong
Importance
English uses to/for or double-object constructions to express recipients and beneficiaries.
She sent a message to me.
to me = recipient link
In your learning language
Spanish
Presence
strong
Difficulty
Recipient relations strongly use indirect object clitics and a/para phrases.
Le escribí a mi madre.
I wrote to my mother.
Typical learner issue
Learners often omit le/les or are unsure when to use a vs para.
Same block, different coding
Both languages use this block strongly, but they signal it differently. Focus on form changes, not only meaning.