Questions & Answers about Моё пальто висит в шкафу.
Why is it «моё» and not «мой» or «моя»?
Because пальто is a neuter noun. Russian possessive pronouns agree with the noun’s gender and number:
- masculine: мой плащ
- feminine: моя куртка
- neuter: моё пальто
Does «пальто» change in other cases or in the plural?
No. Пальто is indeclinable: it has the same form in all cases and in the plural. The words around it (pronouns, adjectives, verbs) show the grammar:
- singular: моё пальто висит
- plural: мои пальто висят
Why is it «в шкафу» and not the more expected «в шкафе»?
Many masculine nouns have a special “locative” prepositional ending -у/-ю after в/на to express location. Шкаф is one of them: say о шкафе (about the closet) but в шкафу / на шкафу (in/on the closet). Other examples: в лесу, в саду, на мосту, в углу.
Which case does «в» use here, and what’s the rule?
Here в takes the prepositional case to show location: в шкафу = in the closet. For motion into, use the accusative: в шкаф (into the closet), e.g., повесил пальто в шкаф.