Breakdown of Около нашего нового дома нет магазина.
дом
house
новый
new
наш
our
магазин
store, shop
нет
there is no / is not present
около
near
Questions & Answers about Около нашего нового дома нет магазина.
Why do the words for our and new change to нашего and нового here?
They are describing the masculine noun дом, which is in the Genitive case because it comes directly after the preposition около (near). In the Genitive case, masculine adjectives take the ending -ого or -его, and possessive pronouns like наш change to нашего.
Is the letter г in нашего and нового pronounced like a regular English g?
No, this is a very important pronunciation rule to remember. In the Genitive masculine and neuter endings -ого and -его, the letter г is always pronounced like an English v. So you will hear native speakers say нашево and новово.
Why is the word for store written as магазина instead of just магазин?
The word нет means there is no. In Russian, when you use нет to say that something is absent or does not exist, the missing thing must be in the Genitive case. Since магазин is a masculine noun ending in a consonant, you add -а to form the Genitive.
Are there two completely different reasons for using the Genitive case in this one sentence?
Exactly! The phrase нашего нового дома is Genitive because it follows the preposition около. But магазина is Genitive for a different reason: it is the missing item following the negative word нет. Recognizing these different triggers is a great way to master Russian cases.
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