Breakdown of После моста сверните направо у большого здания.
Questions & Answers about После моста сверните направо у большого здания.
Why is it моста, not мост?
Because после requires the genitive case.
- мост = bridge (dictionary form, nominative)
- after после, it becomes моста
So:
- после моста = after the bridge
This is a very common pattern in Russian:
- после урока = after the lesson
- после работы = after work
- после дома would be grammatically possible, though usually not useful in meaning
Why is the command сверните and not something else?
Сверните is the imperative form of свернуть, meaning turn or turn off in the sense of changing direction.
In directions, свернуть is very natural for make a turn:
- сверните направо = turn right
- сверните налево = turn left
It is also the formal singular / plural imperative form. So it can mean:
- turn right (when speaking politely to one person)
- turn right (when speaking to more than one person)
The informal singular would be:
- сверни
Why is it сверните instead of свернитесь or some other ending?
Because свернуть is not reflexive here.
You only add -ся / -сь when the verb is reflexive. This verb simply means to turn off / to make a turn, so the imperative is:
- сверни — informal singular
- сверните — formal singular or plural
No -ся is needed.
What does направо mean grammatically?
Направо is an adverb, meaning to the right / right.
In directions, Russian often uses adverbs like this:
- направо = right
- налево = left
- прямо = straight ahead
So:
- сверните направо = turn right
You do not need a noun after it. It works as a complete directional word on its own.
What is the difference between направо and вправо?
Both can mean to the right, and in many situations they are very close.
For basic directions, направо is especially common:
- поверните направо
- сверните направо
Вправо is also correct, but can sound a bit more like toward the right side in movement or orientation.
For a learner, the safest everyday phrase for turn-by-turn directions is:
- сверните направо
Why is it у большого здания?
Because у in the meaning by / near / next to takes the genitive case.
So:
- здание = building
- у здания = by the building / near the building
The adjective also has to match the noun in case, gender, and number:
- большое здание = a big building
- у большого здания = by the big building
This is why both words change.
Why does большое become большого?
Because the adjective must agree with здания, which is in the genitive singular.
Step by step:
- dictionary form: большое здание
- большое = nominative singular neuter
- здание = nominative singular neuter
After у, both must go into the genitive:
- у большого здания
For neuter singular adjectives in the genitive, -ое usually changes to -ого:
- большое → большого
- новое → нового
Does у большого здания mean at the big building, by the big building, or near the big building?
It most naturally means by / near the big building.
The preposition у often indicates location close to something:
- у дома = by the house
- у станции = by the station
- у большого здания = by the big building
In directions, this often means the turn happens at the point where the big building is, or next to it, depending on context.
So in English, several translations may work:
- by the big building
- near the big building
- at the big building
Does после моста mean after crossing the bridge, or just somewhere later?
In directions, после моста usually means after you pass/cross the bridge.
A native speaker will normally understand:
- first you come to the bridge
- then you go beyond it
- then you turn right
It does not usually mean some vague time much later. In route instructions, it points to the next stage of movement.
Is this sentence formal?
Yes, сверните is either:
- formal singular (speaking politely to one person), or
- plural (speaking to multiple people)
That makes the whole sentence sound appropriate for:
- giving directions to a stranger
- GPS/navigation style instructions
- polite public speech
If you were speaking informally to one friend, you would usually say:
- После моста сверни направо у большого здания.
Could the word order be different?
Yes. Russian word order is fairly flexible, although some versions sound more natural than others.
The original:
- После моста сверните направо у большого здания.
This is very natural for directions.
You could also hear:
- После моста у большого здания сверните направо.
- Сверните направо после моста, у большого здания.
These all keep the basic meaning, but the original order is smooth and standard: first the landmark you pass, then the action, then the location marker.
Is сверните the same as поверните here?
They are very close, and in many direction contexts both are possible.
- поверните направо = turn right
- сверните направо = turn right / turn off to the right
A useful nuance:
- повернуть focuses on turning
- свернуть often suggests leaving the current road/path and turning onto another one
In navigation-style instructions, сверните направо is extremely common.
How is this sentence stressed and pronounced?
A helpful pronunciation guide is:
- После моста́ сверни́те напра́во у большо́го зда́ния.
Main stresses:
- после
- моста́
- сверни́те
- напра́во
- большо́го
- зда́ния
A rough English-style approximation:
- POS-lye mas-TA SVYER-nee-tye na-PRA-va oo bal-SHO-va ZDA-ni-ya
Not perfect, but it may help at first.
Why isn’t there a word for go in the sentence?
Because Russian directions often go straight to the key action.
English sometimes says:
- Go past the bridge and turn right...
Russian can simply say:
- После моста сверните направо...
The idea of movement is already understood from the context. This makes the sentence compact and natural.
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