Questions & Answers about Они сейчас в ресторане.
Why is it в ресторане and not just в ресторан?
Because we are talking about where they are located. To show location, Russian uses the Prepositional case. For most masculine nouns ending in a consonant like ресторан, you just add an -е to the end.
Why do we use the preposition в here instead of на?
The preposition в usually means 'in' or 'inside'. It is used for physical, enclosed buildings like a restaurant. You would use на (on/at) for open spaces, surfaces, or events.
Where is the word for 'are' in this sentence?
There isn't one! Russian completely drops the verb 'to be' (am/is/are) in the present tense. The sentence literally translates to 'They right now in the restaurant.' You only use a verb for this in the past or future tenses.
Could I put сейчас at the end of the sentence instead?
Yes, Russian word order is very flexible. Они в ресторане сейчас is perfectly fine and means the exact same thing. Putting сейчас near the beginning just slightly emphasizes that they are there right now.
Learn Они сейчас в ресторане and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free