Log inSign up

В подъезде на лестнице скрипят перила, и мне неприятно за них держаться.

В подъезде на лестнице скрипят перила, и мне неприятно за них держаться.
In the stairwell the handrails on the stairs creak, and it feels unpleasant to hold onto them.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Russian now

Questions & Answers about В подъезде на лестнице скрипят перила, и мне неприятно за них держаться.

Why are there two location phrases: в подъезде and на лестнице? Aren’t they the same thing?

They give two layers of location:

  • в подъезде = in the entrance/stairwell area of an apartment building (the general place).
  • на лестнице = on the staircase / on the stairs (more specific: the railings that belong to the stairs). Russian often stacks location phrases from general → specific.
What case is used in в подъезде and why does подъезд become подъезде?

After в meaning “in/inside (a location)” Russian uses the prepositional case:

  • подъезд → в подъезде The ending -е is a common prepositional ending for masculine nouns.
Why is it на лестнице (not в лестнице) and what case is лестнице?

на is used for “on” surfaces and also for certain locations by convention (like на улице, на лестнице).
лестнице is also prepositional case (because it answers “where?”):

  • лестница → на лестнице
Why is the verb скрипят plural?

Because the subject перила is grammatically plural, so the verb agrees:

  • перила скрипят = “the railings creak”
Is перила always plural? What is the singular?
In everyday Russian, перила is treated as a plural-only word (like English “stairs” in many contexts). A theoretical singular перило exists but is uncommon; speakers normally use перила even for one railing.
What does скрипят mean grammatically (tense/aspect)?

скрипят is:

  • present tense
  • 3rd person plural
  • imperfective (a general ongoing/repeated fact: “they creak” / “they are squeaking”)
Why is there a comma before и?

Because и connects two independent clauses, each with its own predicate: 1) В подъезде на лестнице скрипят перила
2) и мне неприятно за них держаться
In Russian, a comma is typically used in this structure.

Why does it say мне неприятно instead of я (не)приятно or я не люблю?

мне неприятно is a common impersonal pattern:

  • мне (dative) = “to me / for me”
  • неприятно = “unpleasant” So literally: “It’s unpleasant for me (to…)”. It sounds natural and focuses on the feeling rather than on “I” as an actor.
What part of speech is неприятно here?
Here неприятно functions as a predicative word (category of state): it forms a whole predicate like “it’s unpleasant,” similar to мне холодно, ему грустно, нам интересно.
Why is it держаться (reflexive) and not just держать?

They mean different things:

  • держать (что?) = “to hold (something)” (you actively hold an object)
  • держаться (за что?) = “to hold on (to something)” (you cling/grab for support) With railings, держаться за перила is the normal verb.
Why is it за них and not их or ими?

держаться requires the preposition за:

  • держаться за что? = “to hold on to what?” After за in this meaning, Russian uses the accusative:
  • за перила
  • за них (pronoun in accusative = них)
    ими would be instrumental and would not fit this verb pattern.
Why use за них at all—why not repeat за перила?

Both are correct:

  • …скрипят перила, и мне неприятно за перила держаться (a bit repetitive)
  • …скрипят перила, и мне неприятно за них держаться (more natural: avoids repeating перила)
Is the word order fixed? Could I say Перила скрипят в подъезде на лестнице?

Yes, you can. Russian word order is flexible, and changing it changes emphasis:

  • В подъезде на лестнице скрипят перила highlights the location first (scene-setting).
  • Перила скрипят в подъезде на лестнице highlights перила first (the thing that creaks).