Breakdown of Без холодильника еда быстро портится.
еда
the food
быстро
quickly
без
without
холодильник
the refrigerator
Questions & Answers about Без холодильника еда быстро портится.
Why is холодильника used here instead of холодильник?
Because the preposition без (without) always takes the genitive case in Russian.
- холодильник – nominative singular (dictionary form)
- холодильника – genitive singular
So:
- без холодильника – without a refrigerator
- без воды – without water
- без сахара – without sugar
Whenever you use без, the noun that follows must be in the genitive form.
What is the role of еда in this sentence, and what form is it in?
Еда is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case (the form you find in the dictionary).
- еда – nominative singular, feminine noun
Even though in English food is uncountable, in Russian еда behaves like a regular singular noun:
- Еда холодная. – The food is cold.
- Эта еда вкусная. – This food is tasty.
If you change the case, the form will change:
- нет еды – there is no food (genitive singular)
- с едой – with food (instrumental singular)
Russian has no word like a or the. How do I know whether means , , or ?