Learn Hardcore Russian: Дедушка любит гулять по тихой деревне. - Grandfather loves walking through the quiet village.

In Russian, verbs like любить (to love) typically take an infinitive to indicate the action that is liked. So in this sentence, гулять (to walk) remains in the infinitive form, much like how we say “loves to walk” in English.

What role does the preposition по play in the phrase по тихой деревне?

The preposition по here shows movement or activity around within an area. In this context, it indicates that grandfather enjoys walking through or around the quiet village, setting the scene for where the action takes place.

Why are тихой and деревне written in these forms, and what case is being used?

The noun деревня (village) is used in a declined form—деревне—because the preposition по in this context requires the dative case to indicate location. Likewise, the adjective тихой is in the dative feminine singular to agree with деревне (a feminine noun). This is why, even though the dictionary form is тихая деревня, it appears as тихой деревне here.

How does the sentence structure compare to English word order?

The sentence follows a familiar structure: it starts with the subject (Дедушка / grandfather), then the verb (любит / loves), followed by the infinitive (гулять / to walk) and finally a phrase describing the setting (по тихой деревне / through the quiet village). While Russian can be flexible with word order, this sentence mirrors the common English order of subject-verb-object/adverbial.

Why is гулять used instead of another verb like ходить?

Both гулять and ходить can mean “to walk,” but they carry different nuances. Гулять often implies a leisurely or enjoyable walk, which fits the context of someone loving to stroll around a peaceful village. Ходить, on the other hand, can emphasize regular or habitual movement from place to place, making гулять the more appropriate choice in this sentence.