Questions & Answers about Я положил книгу между журнальным столиком и диваном.
Why is книгу in the Accusative case and not the Nominative case?
Because книга is the direct object of the verb положил, and direct objects in Russian take the Accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -а change that ending to -у in the singular Accusative, so книга → книгу.
Why do we use the verb положил here instead of поставил or положу?
Положил is the past tense, perfective form of положить, meaning “laid” or “put (horizontally).” You use поставил (“placed upright”) if you stand something vertically. Положу would be the future tense of положить (“I will put/lay”).
What case does the preposition между govern, and why are журнальным столиком and диваном in the Instrumental?
The preposition между (“between”) always takes the Instrumental case in modern Russian. That’s why both журнальный столик and диван appear as журнальным столиком and диваном respectively: both must be in Instrumental to match между.
How do you form the Instrumental singular of masculine nouns like столик and диван?