Breakdown of Ты работаешь в офисе пять?
ты
you (singular)
работать
to work
в
in / to (direction)
офис
office
пять
five
Questions & Answers about Ты работаешь в офисе пять?
Why do we use the cardinal number пять instead of the word for 'fifth'?
Just like in English, Russian uses cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc.) right after a noun to act as a label or room number. So офисе пять simply means 'office number five'.
Since we are saying 'in' the office, shouldn't пять also change its ending?
Not in this sentence! Because пять is acting as a label or title for this specific office, it stays in its basic dictionary form. The noun офисе takes the ending for the location, but the number tag doesn't.
Why does работаешь end in -ешь?
This is the present tense ending for ты (you, informal). When you want to say 'you do' something for most regular verbs, you drop the dictionary ending and add -ешь. Here, работать (to work) becomes работаешь (you work).
Why does офис have an -е at the end here?
Because it follows the preposition в (in) to show a location. When answering the question 'where?', the noun must be in the Prepositional case. For masculine nouns ending in a consonant like офис, you add an -е, making it в офисе.
Learn Ты работаешь в офисе пять 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