Breakdown of В кресле удобно читать вечером.
читать
to read
в
in
вечер
the evening
удобный
comfortable
кресло
the armchair
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Questions & Answers about В кресле удобно читать вечером.
Why is there no subject in this sentence?
Russian often uses impersonal constructions to express general conditions. Here удобно is an impersonal predicate and читать is the infinitive describing the action. No explicit subject is needed to convey that reading is comfortable.
What part of speech is удобно and how does it function here?
удобно is an impersonal predicative adverb (a neuter singular form of an adjective used as a predicate). It expresses a general feeling or condition and pairs naturally with an infinitive.
Why is читать in the infinitive?
In impersonal sentences the infinitive acts as the logical subject or the thing being evaluated. Here читать refers to the activity that is comfortable.
Why is в кресле in the prepositional case with в? Why not в кресло?
в кресле describes static location (where one sits), which requires the prepositional case after в. в кресло would be accusative, implying movement into the armchair.
Why do we use в кресле instead of на кресле?
Russian distinguishes seats: you say сидеть в кресле (in an armchair) but сидеть на стуле (on a chair). An armchair is considered something you sit “in,” not “on.”
Why is вечером used without a preposition? Could we say в вечером?
Time-of-day words like утром, днём, вечером, ночью form adverbs from the instrumental and take no preposition. в вечером is incorrect.
What is the difference between вечером and по вечерам?
- вечером refers to one specific evening or the evening time in general.
- по вечерам indicates a habitual action taking place in the evenings (plural).
Can I change the word order in this sentence?
Yes, Russian word order is flexible and used to shift emphasis. All the following are correct:
- Вечером в кресле удобно читать.
- Удобно вечером читать в кресле.
The basic meaning remains the same.
How do I express the past tense: “It was comfortable to read in the armchair in the evening”?
Add the past-tense form of быть before удобно:
В кресле было удобно читать вечером.
How do I ask “Where is it comfortable to read in the evening?” in Russian?
Use the question word где. You can say:
Где вечером удобно читать? or Где удобно читать вечером?