Question 1

Why does this sentence use университете instead of the Accusative университет we just learned?

Accepted Answer

The Accusative case is for destination or motion towards a place (answering куда - where to). But this sentence describes a stationary location (answering где - where). To say where something is located, Russian uses в + Prepositional case, which is why университет takes the -е ending.

Question 2

Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost always dropped. You simply put the subject (столовая) and its location (в университете) together: "Canteen in university."

Question 3

Столовая ends in -ая. Is it an adjective or a noun?

Accepted Answer

It acts as a noun here meaning "canteen" or "dining room", but it originally comes from an adjective relating to стол (table). Because of this, it keeps its feminine adjective ending (-ая) and will change its endings exactly like an adjective would when you use it in other cases.

Question 4

Why do we use в here when the English translation says "at"?

Accepted Answer

In Russian, в generally means "in" or "inside" a physical space or institution, like a university building. English prefers "at" for universities, but in Russian you are literally saying the canteen is "in" the university.

Столовая в университете.

Breakdown of Столовая в университете.

Questions & Answers about Столовая в университете.

Learn Столовая в университете and more in Russian