"Они дают мне коробку."
Translation:They are giving me the box.
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From one of the great legends of the American people:
http://chutzpah.typepad.com/slow_movement/2010/04/calvin-and-hobbes-beanie.html http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Cardboard_box
In this situation the word order is setting emphasis. Because коробка is at the end of the sentence, the emphasis is that they're giving you specifically a box (just like you've always wanted).
If it had been at the beginning, the emphasis would have been that they're just giving you the box (how can they afford to just give away boxes?!)
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How would you distinguish this between "they give me a box"? Since both are i believe equally valid translations.
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In Russian there is no difference, because there are not articles and often continuous tenses coincide with simple tenses. You can use your choice as well. If the answer is not accepted click the report button.
Коробку*. The "direct object" (the thing that is in accusative - коробку here) is the thing being acted on directly by the verb. The verb here is give. The box is the thing being given. The "indirect object" (the thing in dative - мне) is someone who is receiving the result of the action, if that makes sense. Technically with the grammar you can switch мне и коробку and it will retain the same meaning. The sentence here though is emphasizing what is being given, not to whom, though.
Like in many languages, a single verb suffices for the present tense (and in many cases in the past and future as well). In this way, давать (imperfective) can be translated as both "is/are giving" or simply "give" when conjugated in the present tense.
Since Russian doesn't use articles, this can be either "the" or "a" box.
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дают a different conjugation of дайте, да?? In previous lessons, we learned Дайте мне means "Give to me."
"Дайте мне лук" from previous lessons
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Almost. дайте comes from дать, a perfective verb meaning "to give", it is the command/imperative formal/plural form.
дают comes from давать, which is the imperfective verb paired with дать that has the same meaning. дают is the "they" form. да is totally different.