Breakdown of Куда вы едете? В больницу?
вы
you (plural)
в
in / to (direction)
куда
where to
ехать
to go (by vehicle)
больница
hospital
Questions & Answers about Куда вы едете? В больницу?
Why do we use куда here instead of где? Both mean "where" in English.
In Russian, there are different words for "where" depending on movement. Use где when asking about a static location ("where at"). Use куда when asking about a destination ("where to"). Since the people are traveling toward a place, we must use куда.
How do I know едете means "driving" rather than just "going"?
Russian uses different verbs for going on foot versus going by a vehicle. The base verb ехать (which becomes едете for "you") specifically means moving by transport, like a car, bus, or train. If they were walking, you would use идёте instead.
Why does the word for hospital end in -у here (больницу)?
The normal dictionary form is больница. However, when you talk about going to a destination, Russian requires the Accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -а like this one, the ending always changes to -у in the Accusative.
Do I really need the в before больницу? Doesn't the -у ending already show the destination?
Yes, you absolutely need the в. To say you are going "to" a location, Russian requires a preposition of direction—usually в (in/into) or на (on/onto)—working together with that Accusative ending.
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