Я сканирую документ в офисе.

I am scanning a document in the office.

Breakdown of Я сканирую документ в офисе.

• я: I
• в: in
• офис: the office
• документ: the document
• сканировать: to scan

Questions & Answers about Я сканирую документ в офисе.

Why is the verb сканирую in the present tense, and how does Russian express the English “I am scanning” (present continuous)?

Russian does not have a separate present‐continuous form. The single present‐tense form сканирую covers both “I scan” (habitual) and “I am scanning” (ongoing). Context (or words like сейчас) tells you whether it’s a general action or happening right now.

How do you form the present tense of the infinitive сканировать?

Take the infinitive сканировать, drop -ть, and add the ending -ю for “я”:
сканировать → сканироваю → сканирую.

What case is документ, and why doesn’t its ending change?

документ is the direct object (accusative) of the verb. It’s an inanimate masculine noun, so singular accusative = nominative. That’s why it stays документ rather than changing form.

Why is it в офисе instead of just офис? Which case is офисе?

в + prepositional case indicates location (“in”). The prepositional singular of офис is офисе, so в офисе = “in the office.”

Why are there no words for “a” or “the” before документ or офис?

Russian has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context. If you need to stress “that document” you can say этот документ, or “some document” as какой-то документ.

Where is the stress in сканирую, and how should I pronounce it?

The stress falls on the final syllable: сканиру́ю. Phonetically: [skah-nee-ROO-yu].

How do I say “using a scanner” or “with a scanner” in Russian?

Use the instrumental case or the phrase с помощью + genitive:
– Instrumental: сканирую документ сканером.
– With “help”: сканирую документ с помощью сканера.

How can I emphasize that it’s happening right now—“I am scanning the document in the office right now”?

Add сейчас or прямо сейчас before the verb:
Я сейчас сканирую документ в офисе.
This clearly marks the action as ongoing at this moment.

What’s the difference between сканирую and отсканировать (or отсканирую, отсканировал)?

сканирую is the imperfective aspect (focus on the process, ongoing or habitual). отсканировать is the perfective aspect (focus on completion).
– Future perfective: я отсканирую документ (“I will scan [and finish scanning] the document”).
– Past perfective: я отсканировал документ (“I scanned [completed scanning] the document”).

Can I change the word order, for example say В офисе я сканирую документ? Will it still make sense?

Yes. Russian word order is flexible.
– В офисе я сканирую документ. (emphasizes location)
– Я сканирую документ в офисе. (neutral)
– Я в офисе сканирую документ. (less common, but possible)
The endings tell you who does what to what, so you can move phrases around to highlight different parts.