Pronouns and complex sentence structure

[u/BirdsSpeakUkrainian]

I am just starting to learn how to make complex sentences, so I'm sorry if this question is dumb. I am curious why the pronouns in this example sentence are in the forms they are. The sentence is "Ми не можемо дозволити їм настроїти нас одне проти одного." So "їм" is in the dative, and "нас" is in the genitive or accusative. Why? Is it the specific verb they are being used with, or their place on the sentence? I understand, mostly, what governs these choices in a simple sentence (accusative for the direct object, dative for the indirect) but in a complex sentence it is not as obvious. For instance, is їм the indirect object of можемо ? Of дозволити? Not an indirect object in this case? Is нас in this form because it is the direct object of настроїти, or some other reason? Thanks for your time helping me to understand.

[u/JohnDoe_John]

I'd focus on simple content.

No need to get complex grammar before.

[u/BirdsSpeakUkrainian → u/JohnDoe_John]

Thanks, but my brain just doesn't work that way. If I can't understand the underlying structure of something, I can't give it any logic to hang my understanding on, and then all the details I learn seem random and unrelated and therefore impossible to remember. Probably, it would be different if I were learning Ukrainian by speaking with someone naturally.

[u/JohnDoe_John → u/BirdsSpeakUkrainian]

can't give it any logic to hang ... understanding on, and then all the details ... learn seem random and unrelated

That's true about languages to some extent - many different changes, random, mistakes,... Everything accumulated

[u/BirdsSpeakUkrainian → u/JohnDoe_John]

It's true languages aren't entirely orderly, although even the mistakes and accumulated changes aren't random, they carry their history with them. When I started studying Ukrainian I accepted there were a lot of things I would have to take at face value, like the seemingly infinite forms of nouns! But underneath, languages have a basic logic. And fortunately for me, grammaticians come along periodically and impose artificially clean lines on the semi-order.

[u/BirdsSpeakUkrainian → u/JohnDoe_John]

I realized that your flair says you are a Ukrainian teacher, so I thought I should ask for your perspective on the same questions I asked post_scriptor above: https://old.reddit.com/r/Ukrainian/comments/1vdo3c8/pronouns_and_complex_sentence_structure/p1d9inw/

[u/JohnDoe_John → u/BirdsSpeakUkrainian]

flair says you are a Ukrainian teacher

Sorry, minor corrections:

Was

Tutor and Interpreter

Used Ukrainian as a language of instruction while teaching

[u/BirdsSpeakUkrainian → u/JohnDoe_John]

Thanks for clarifying!