Recipient Link
Dative
Indirect object
Benefactive
To whom does it go or for whom is it intended?
extended
intermediate
Relations
Maana
The grammatical link that connects an event or object to a recipient, addressee, or beneficiary.
Jinsi ya kuitambua
Look for the person who receives, hears, gets, or benefits.
Mifano
Maneno
to me|for you|her|the customer
Virai
give it to me|tell Anna|cook for us
Sentensi
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
Mtazamo wa lugha
Katika lugha yako
Arabic (Modern Standard)
Uwepo
strong
Umuhimu
Recipient links are usually expressed with لــ or attached pronouns depending on the verb.
أرسلتُ رسالةً لصديقي.
I sent a message to my friend.
Katika lugha unayojifunza
Bengali (standard)
Uwepo
strong
Ugumu
Recipient links are often encoded with -কে or pronoun forms and verb-specific patterns.
আমি তাকে খবর দিলাম।
I gave him/her news.
Changamoto ya kawaida kwa wanaojifunza
Learners may confuse recipient marking with animate direct object marking.
Same block, different coding
Both languages use this block strongly, but they signal it differently. Focus on form changes, not only meaning.