Официант разливает чай по чашкам.

the tea

Breakdown of Официант разливает чай по чашкам.

• чашка: the cup
• официант: the waiter
• по: into

Questions & Answers about Официант разливает чай по чашкам.

Why is официант in this form?

Because официант is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case.

• официант = waiter
• nominative singular masculine

In Russian, the subject is usually in the nominative, just like in dictionary form.

Why is чай not changed here?

Чай is the direct object of the verb, so it is in the accusative case. But for an inanimate masculine noun like чай, the accusative singular looks exactly the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: чай
• accusative: чай

This is very common in Russian:

• Я вижу стол.
• Он пьёт чай.

Both стол and чай are in the accusative, but they look unchanged.

What case is по чашкам?