Learn Hardcore Russian: Вы можете задать вопрос менеджеру после семинара. - You can ask a question of the manager after the seminar.

In Russian, Вы is the formal “you” (also the plural “you”) and shows respect or distance. You would use ты only in informal settings (friends, family). In business or polite contexts you choose Вы. In writing, especially letters or announcements, Вы is often capitalized to emphasize courtesy. In everyday typed Russian you might also see the lowercase вы.

What does можете mean and how does it function in this sentence?

можете is the 2nd person plural (or polite singular) present form of the verb мочь (“to be able to,” “can”). Here it acts like a modal verb: Вы можете = “You can” or “You are able to.” It pairs with the infinitive задать to express permission or ability.

Why is вопрос in the accusative case and менеджеру in the dative case?

вопрос is the direct object of задать (“to pose/submit”), so it takes the accusative case. Since вопрос is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative looks like nominative.
менеджеру is the indirect object (“to the manager”) answering the question кому? (“to whom?”). After задать вопрос you use the dative case for the person.

What case does после require, and why is семинара in the genitive?

The preposition после (“after”) always takes the genitive case. The nominative семинар becomes семинара in the genitive singular, so после семинара means “after the seminar.”

Can I change the word order, for example starting with после семинара?

Yes. Russian word order is relatively flexible. You can say После семинара вы можете задать вопрос менеджеру or even Вы после семинара можете задать вопрос менеджеру. The core meaning stays the same; moving elements around simply shifts the emphasis.

Why use the verb задать here instead of спросить?

задать вопрос literally means “to pose/submit a question.” It’s a set phrase. спросить means “to ask someone,” so you would say спросить у менеджера [что?] (“ask the manager [something]”). Both are correct, but задать вопрос менеджеру is a bit more formal and focuses on the question itself.

What is the aspect of задать, and could I use its imperfective form задавать?

задать is perfective, emphasizing a completed act of asking one question. Its imperfective counterpart is задавать, which stresses the ongoing or repeated action (“to be asking questions”). With можете, you could say можете задавать вопросы (“you can keep asking questions”), suggesting multiple or ongoing questions.

Why are there no words for “a” or “the” before вопрос or семинар?

Russian has no articles (no “a,” “an,” or “the”). Definiteness and indefiniteness are inferred from context rather than marked by separate words.