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I'm unsure how to correctly construct the following sentence using the past tense of the word 'bequeath' and/or 'donate'.

It's what I wanted to do since I was 14, the year my math teacher bequeathed to me a Model 1 Radio Shack TRS80.

It's what I wanted to do since I was 14, the year my math teacher bequeathed me a Model 1 Radio Shack TRS80.

It's what I wanted to do since I was 14, the year my math teacher donated me a Model 1 Radio Shack TRS80.

It's what I wanted to do since I was 14, the year my math teacher donated to me a Model 1 Radio Shack TRS80.

I'm open to any reconstruction suggestion as well.

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First, there are two ways to order direct and indirect objects.

She gave me milk

She gave milk to me

are both grammatically valid forms.

Second, neither "bequeath" nor "donate" are idiomatic. The first, "bequeath," has a primary meaning of bestow by will after death. Are you saying that your teacher died and provided for you in a will? If not, the word conveys a meaning very different from what you mean.

The verb "donate" is not quite so bizarre, but still sounds odd. According to Webster, the primary meaning of "donate" is "to make a gift of [something], especially to a public or charitable cause." A single student is seldom if ever considered a public cause.

There is a perfectly good verb that does not create weird connotations that you probably do not intend, namely "give." It is true that "give" has a wide field of meaning so you may want to characterize it appropriately

gave me a present of a ...

gave me a prize of a ...

gave me the unexpected gift of a ...

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  • Bequeath can be used in a semi-humorous way of someone leaving behind an item for someone else to use when they change jobs or move home.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Jun 6, 2020 at 12:00
  • @ Kate Bunting True enough, but I hesitate to refer to intentional distortions of primary meanings at a site for learners. It does not sound in this case as though the intended meaning is to joke about the gift.
    – Jeff Morrow
    Commented Jun 6, 2020 at 13:01
  • Thanks Jeff ~ I appreciate your meticulous precision in highlighting the definition of both terms. That said - further context (not originally provided) might have revealed a more light-hearted tone as @KateBunting suggested. I still don't understand tho which form to use for either term - that is if I were to to use one or the other in a more appropo context. Thanks. I will probably go with what you've suggested.
    – sushidub
    Commented Jun 6, 2020 at 14:07

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