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Questions & Answers about Я говорю с другом в школе.
Why is the noun другом in the instrumental case?
In Russian, the preposition с (meaning “with”) governs the instrumental case. That’s why друг becomes другом to show that you are speaking with a friend.
Why does the phrase в школе use the prepositional case?
When indicating location with the preposition в (meaning “in” or “at”), Russian requires the noun to be in the prepositional case. Школа becomes школе to specify that the action is taking place at school.
What does the verb говорю mean, and how is it conjugated?
Говорю is the first-person singular present tense form of the verb говорить, which means “to speak” or “to talk.” Its ending -ю clearly indicates that the speaker (I) is performing the action right now.
Is it necessary to include the subject pronoun Я in Russian sentences?
Not always. Russian is a pro-drop language, so the subject pronoun can be omitted if the verb’s ending makes the subject clear. However, including Я (meaning “I”) can add emphasis or clarity—especially for beginners—so it’s often kept in early learning examples.
Can the word order of the sentence be rearranged without changing the meaning?
Yes. Russian has a flexible word order due to its case system. While Я говорю с другом в школе is a natural order, you could also say В школе я говорю с другом. Changing the order can shift the emphasis but does not fundamentally alter the meaning.