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 in terms of tense and aspect?