The Comparative Preposition: подобно
In everyday Russian, you often use как to mean "like" or "as." In formal, poetic, or elevated contexts—such as describing a classical symphony—you will frequently encounter the comparative preposition подобно (like, similar to).
The word подобно always requires the Dative case.
Notice how the feminine noun гроза (thunderstorm) changes to its Dative form, грозе:
| This classical symphony sounds like a thunderstorm. | Эта классическая симфония звучит подобно грозе. |
For a masculine noun like капитан (captain), the Dative ending is -у:
| The conductor controls the orchestra like a captain of a ship. | Дирижёр управляет оркестром подобно капитану корабля. |
Describing Orchestral Music
You can use this structure to compare the sounds of instruments. Here, the masculine noun голос (voice) takes its Dative form:
| Furthermore, the violin and the cello sound like a human voice. | К тому же скрипка и виолончель звучат подобно голосу человека. |
Any adjectives describing the object of comparison must also match the Dative case. When comparing an orchestra to "one instrument," both the adjective один and the noun инструмент take Dative masculine endings (одному инструменту):
| Does the whole orchestra sound like one instrument? | Весь оркестр звучит подобно одному инструменту? |
When comparing a sound to a "strong explosion," both сильный (strong) and взрыв (explosion) take Dative endings (сильному взрыву):
| The first chord sounded like a strong explosion. | Первый аккорд звучал подобно сильному взрыву. |
