Breakdown of В библиотеке можно читать любую книгу.
книга
the book
читать
to read
в
in
библиотека
the library
Questions & Answers about В библиотеке можно читать любую книгу.
Why is в библиотеке in the prepositional case?
The preposition в (in) indicates location and requires the prepositional case when the action is static. Since библиотека is a feminine noun, its prepositional singular form is библиотеке. Together в библиотеке means “in the library.”
What does можно mean, and why is it used here?
Можно is an impersonal modal word that expresses permission or possibility (“it is possible,” “one may”). In this sentence, it tells us that reading any book is allowed or possible in that place.
Why do we use the infinitive читать after можно?
After можно, Russian always uses the infinitive form of the verb to show the action that is permitted or possible. That’s why we say читать (to read) rather than a conjugated form.
Why is любую книгу in the accusative case?
Любую книгу is the direct object of the verb читать. Feminine singular nouns take the accusative ending -ую for adjectives and -у for nouns, so любая книга becomes любую книгу.
Could we use каждую книгу instead of , and how would the meaning change?