How the recipient is marked
How do we show who gets something or who something is done for?
Significado
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.
Como identificar
Find the receiver or the person helped, then look at the position, word, or ending that links them to the action.
Na tua língua materna
Recipients commonly follow para or a; a combines with articles in forms such as ao and à. Para also marks someone who benefits from an action, and para mim is the usual form when that person is the speaker. Short pronouns such as te and lhe can replace a recipient, though lhe is less common in much everyday Brazilian speech than in formal writing.
Mandei as fotos para a Luana.
Entreguei a chave ao porteiro.
Ao combines a with the article o.
Minha mãe trouxe um lanche para mim.
Na tua língua de aprendizagem
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.