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Questions & Answers about Мы часто думаем о работе.
Why is работа changed to работе in this sentence?
Because after the preposition о (meaning about) Russian uses the prepositional case. The nominative работа becomes работе (ending -е).
Why do we use the preposition о here, and when should I use об instead?
The preposition о (about) is used before words that start with most consonants. You use об before words that start with a vowel (e.g. об идее) or certain clusters for easier pronunciation.
Why is the noun in the prepositional case and not the accusative?
Some Russian verbs, like думать (to think), require the prepositional case when indicating what you are thinking about. They never take an accusative direct object in this sense.
Why is the verb думаем ending in -ем? How do you conjugate думать?
Думаем is the first person plural (we) present tense form of the verb думать. Думать is a first‑conjugation verb, so its present‑tense endings are:
я думаю, ты думаешь, он/она думает, мы думаем, вы думаете, они думают.
What’s the role of мы here? Can it be omitted?
Russian often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. You could say Часто думаем о работе, and it would still mean we often think about work. Including мы adds clarity or emphasis on we.
Why is часто placed before думаем? Can it move around?
Adverbs of frequency like часто are fairly flexible. You can say:
- Мы часто думаем о работе (neutral)
- Часто мы думаем о работе (emphasis on the fact that it happens often)
- Мы думаем о работе часто (emphasis on the verb, less common)
What is the stress pattern in думаем and работе?
In думаем the stress falls on -ма: думаем. In работе the stress is on the first syllable: работе.
Why is the aspect of думать imperfective here? Could I use a perfective verb?
The imperfective думать indicates repeated or habitual action (we often think). If you use the perfective подумать о работе, it implies a single, completed act of thinking about work, not a habitual process.
Can I use a different preposition, like над, with думать?
Yes, but it changes the meaning. Думать над takes the dative (e.g. думать над задачей) and means to deliberate over or work on a specific problem. Думать о with the prepositional simply means to have thoughts about something.