Questions & Answers about Турист идёт по красивому городу.
What does the preposition по convey in this sentence, and why are the noun and adjective in the dative case?
The preposition по here indicates movement taking place through, along, or around the beautiful city. In Russian, when you describe movement within an area (such as streets or a city), по always requires the dative case. That’s why город becomes городу and красивый changes to красивому—to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
Why is the noun город in the dative case instead of the accusative case?
In this context, the preposition по governs the dative case. While the accusative is often used for direct objects, here the movement is described relative to the space within the city, so the noun город must be in the dative form (городу). The modification of the adjective follows the same rule, hence it is красивому.
What is the difference between идёт and ходит, and why is идёт used in this sentence?
Both идёт and ходит come from the verb идти (to go/walk), but they have different nuances. Идёт is used for a single, current, or unidirectional action—indicating that the tourist is presently walking through the city. Ходит, on the other hand, implies habitual or repeated actions (like “he walks” regularly). Since the sentence depicts one specific moment of movement, идёт is the correct choice.