Learn Hardcore Russian: Затем поверните налево у большого здания.

Затем is an adverb meaning “then” or “afterwards,” used to indicate the next step in a sequence. Потом also means “later” or “then,” but is more colloquial and can imply a longer or less specific delay. In instructions, Затем often sounds more formal and precise.

Why is the verb поверните used here, and what does it tell us about formality and aspect?

Поверните is the plural or polite-form imperative of the perfective verb повернуть (“to turn”). Using the perfective aspect (instead of the imperfective поворачивать) emphasizes a single completed action: “turn (and complete the turn).” The form поверните also serves as a polite or plural command, appropriate for giving directions to strangers or a group.

What part of speech is налево, and why is it used instead of a prepositional phrase?

Налево is an adverb of direction meaning “to the left.” Russian often uses adverbs like налево (and направо, вперёд) to express motion directions concisely, rather than saying влево with a preposition and case. Note that влево is also possible and synonymous, but налево is equally common in spoken and written instructions.

Why does the phrase use у большого здания? What case is большого здания, and why?

The preposition у (“by/at/near”) requires the genitive case to indicate location in proximity to something. Большого здания is therefore in the genitive singular (from большое здание). It literally means “at the big building,” i.e., “next to the big building.”

Could you replace у with another preposition to mean “by the big building”? If so, how?

Yes. You could say возле большого здания or рядом с большим зданием, both meaning “near the big building.” Note that рядом с requires the instrumental case (большим зданием), whereas возле also takes the genitive (большого здания).

Why are there no articles like “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Russian does not use definite or indefinite articles (no direct equivalents of “the” or “a”). Context and word order convey specificity. Here, большого здания simply means “big building,” with у clarifying “by/near” it.

Can you explain the word order in Затем поверните налево у большого здания? Would another order work?

The order—Затем (sequence) + поверните (verb) + налево (direction) + у большого здания (location)—is the most straightforward for instructions. You could say Поверните у большого здания затем налево, but that sounds awkward, since затем usually introduces the main verb. Keeping затем at the start and налево immediately after the verb makes the command clear and natural.