Learn Hardcore Russian: В парке есть узкая дорожка для бега. - There is a narrow path for running in the park.

In this context, есть serves as an existential verb, meaning “there is” (or “there are” for plural objects). It indicates the existence or presence of something—in this case, a narrow running path. Although есть can also mean “to eat” in other contexts, here it clearly signals existence.

What case is used in В парке, and why is it formed that way?

The phrase В парке uses the prepositional case. After the preposition в, which indicates location (“in”), masculine nouns like парк change to the prepositional form парке. This construction shows where the action or existence takes place.

How do the adjective узкая and the noun дорожка agree in the sentence?

Russian adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case. Here, дорожка is a feminine, singular noun in the nominative case. The adjective узкая is also in the feminine, singular nominative form, ensuring that it correctly describes дорожка (meaning “narrow path”).

What does the phrase для бега mean, and what grammatical rule does it illustrate?

The phrase для бега translates to “for running.” It illustrates the use of the preposition для, which means “for” and requires the following noun to be in the genitive case. In this case, бег (running) appears as бега in the genitive, indicating the intended purpose of the path.

Why is the sentence structured as В парке есть узкая дорожка для бега instead of rearranging the words?

Russian often employs an existential construction that places the location first (here, В парке) to emphasize where something exists. Using есть after the location sets up the information that “there is” a certain thing—in this case, a узкая дорожка для бега. Although the sentence could be rearranged (for example, Узкая дорожка для бега в парке), the chosen order highlights the location and follows a common pattern for stating the existence of something.