Learn Hardcore Russian: Мой навигатор показывает путь до офиса. - My navigator shows the way to the office.

• Мой – [moj] (monosyllabic, stress on the only vowel)
• навигатор – [nɐ-vʲɪ-ˈɡa-tər], stress on га
• показывает – [pə-kɐ-zɨ-ˈva-jet], stress on ва
• путь – [putʲ] (monosyllabic, soft ть)
• до – [do]
• офиса – [ˈo-fʲi-sə], stress on о

Putting it all together: [moj nɐvʲɪˈɡatər pə-kɐ-zɨ-ˈva-jet putʲ do ˈofʲisə].

Why is путь in the accusative case and why isn’t there a preposition before it?

In Russian, direct objects of transitive verbs (like показывать) usually go in the accusative case without a preposition.
• путь (path/route) is masculine animate? No, it’s inanimate. So its nominative путь becomes accusative путь (unchanged).
• There’s no preposition because the verb itself (“to show”) directly takes the object “the route.”

Why is до офиса used here and what case does офиса take?

The preposition до means “up to,” “as far as,” or “until.” It requires the genitive case.
• офис (office) in genitive singular becomes офиса.
So до офиса literally means “up to the office,” i.e. “to the office.”

What’s the difference between путь and маршрут? Can I say маршрут до офиса?

Both путь and маршрут can mean “route,” but:
• путь is more general (“way,” “path,” “distance”). It can also mean “journey.”
• маршрут usually implies a planned or prescribed route (e.g., bus route, hiking trail).
Yes, you can say маршрут до офиса, but it sounds a bit more technical, like the office’s designated route.

Why is показывает in the present tense and what does its ending -ет tell us?

Показывает is the 3rd person singular present tense of показывать (imperfective “to show”).
• Stem: показыва-
• Ending: -ет indicates 3rd person singular, imperfective aspect.
If you wanted the perfective (“will show/has shown”), you’d use покажет.

How do Russian possessive pronouns like мой agree with nouns?

Possessive pronouns in Russian agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.
Here:
• мой is masculine nominative singular, matching навигатор (masc. nom. sg.).
Other forms:
• Feminine nom. sg.: моя навигаторша (hypothetical) → моя
• Neuter nom. sg.: моё окно → моё
• Plural nom.: мои друзья → мои
And in other cases, мой/моя/моё/мои change endings accordingly.

Why doesn’t Russian use articles like “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Russian language does not have definite or indefinite articles. Context and word order (plus intonation or demonstratives like этот) convey specificity.
• Мой навигатор implies “my navigator” (definite).
• If you needed to stress “that navigator,” you’d say тот навигатор.

Can I change the word order, e.g., Навигатор мой показывает путь до офиса? Would that be correct?

Yes, Russian has relatively free word order.
• Мой навигатор показывает путь до офиса – default neutral.
• Навигатор мой показывает … – adds emphasis on “навигатор.”
• Путь до офиса показывает мой навигатор – emphasizes the route, then the device.
Meaning remains the same, but the focus or nuance shifts.