Breakdown of Библиотека оснащается новыми компьютерами.
новый
new
библиотека
the library
компьютер
the computer
оснащаться
to be equipped
Questions & Answers about Библиотека оснащается новыми компьютерами.
What does оснащается mean, and how does the -ся ending affect the verb?
оснащается is the passive-reflexive imperfective present form of the verb оснащать (“to equip”). The -ся suffix turns an active verb into a passive-reflexive construction, so instead of “somebody equips the library,” it becomes “the library is being equipped.”
Why is новыми компьютерами in the instrumental case, and how does Russian express “with” in such constructions?
In Russian, verbs like оснащаться use the instrumental case to indicate the means or instrument (“what it is equipped with”). There is no separate preposition for “with” in this structure—the instrumental case alone carries that meaning.
– новыми: instrumental plural of новый (“new”)
– компьютерами: instrumental plural of компьютер
What is the aspect and tense of оснащается, and what nuance does that give?
This is the imperfective aspect in the present tense. Imperfective verbs describe ongoing or habitual actions. So Библиотека оснащается suggests “the library is in the process of being equipped” or “the library regularly gets equipped,” rather than a one-time completed event.
How would you express a completed action (“the library has been equipped with new computers”) using a perfective form or a passive participle?