Кошка сидит с собакой.

The cat is sitting with a dog.

Breakdown of Кошка сидит с собакой.

• собака: the dog
• кошка: the cat
• сидеть: to sit
• с: with

Questions & Answers about Кошка сидит с собакой.

What is the function of the preposition с in this sentence?

The preposition с translates to with in English. It is used to indicate accompaniment, showing that the cat is together with the dog. Because of this preposition, the noun that follows must be in the instrumental case.

Why is the noun собакой in the instrumental case?

In Russian, when the preposition с (with) is used, the following noun is required to be in the instrumental case. Thus, собакой is the instrumental form of собака (dog), marking the association "with the dog."

Why do we not see articles like “a” or “the” before Кошка and собакой?

Russian does not use articles. Words like Кошка (cat) and собака (dog) stand alone without definite or indefinite articles. The context of the conversation typically provides enough information to determine whether you mean a specific cat and dog or just any cat and dog.

How do we identify the subject of the sentence?

The subject of the sentence is Кошка. It is in the nominative case, which is the form used for subjects in Russian. Additionally, the verb сидит is conjugated in the third person singular, agreeing with the singular noun Кошка.

What insights do we gain from the verb сидит in terms of tense and aspect?

The verb сидит is in the present tense and indicates the ongoing state or action of sitting. Moreover, it comes from the imperfective verb сидеть, which implies that the action is currently in progress or habitual, without stressing its completion.

Can the word order of this sentence be altered, and what would that imply?

Yes, Russian word order is more flexible than English due to clear case markings. For example, one might say С собакой сидит кошка. While the core meaning remains "The cat sits with the dog," shifting the word order can create emphasis on a particular part of the sentence—in this case, emphasizing the dog as the companion—without changing the overall message.