Learn Hardcore Russian: Я оставил записку на столе для моего друга. - I left a note on the table for my friend.

The word оставил is the past tense, masculine singular form of the perfective verb оставить, which means “to leave.” It tells us that the action of leaving the note has been completed, and since the subject Я (“I”) is used by a male speaker here, the masculine form is appropriate.

Why is записку used instead of the base form записка?

Записку is the accusative case form of записка (“note”). In this sentence, the note is the direct object of the verb оставил, so it must appear in the accusative case. For many feminine nouns in Russian, especially those ending in -а, the accusative singular often changes the ending to -у (from записка to записку).

What is the role of the prepositional phrase на столе?

The phrase на столе indicates the location where the note was left – “on the table.” It uses the preposition на combined with the noun стол in the prepositional case. This case is typically used to denote the location or position of an object.

Why does для моего друга appear in the genitive case?

In Russian, the preposition для (“for”) always requires its following noun to be in the genitive case. Therefore, мой друг (“my friend”) changes to моего друга to agree with для and correctly indicate that the note was intended for that friend.

How flexible is Russian word order, and does changing it affect the meaning of this sentence?

Russian word order is relatively flexible because grammatical relationships are clearly indicated by case endings. While the sentence follows a typical order (subject, verb, object, then additional phrases), reordering parts of the sentence may adjust the emphasis without necessarily changing the overall meaning. For example, placing для моего друга at a different point in the sentence could emphasize the recipient more, but thanks to the clear case markings, the basic message stays intact.