Breakdown of Дети бегали по коридору.
бегать
to run (multidirectional)
дети
children
по
along, around
коридор
corridor, hall
Questions & Answers about Дети бегали по коридору.
Why does the word коридор end in -у here?
The preposition по requires the Dative case when it means 'along' or 'around' a place. Since коридор is a masculine noun ending in a consonant, it takes the ending -у in the Dative case to become коридору.
Why is the verb бегали used instead of бежали?
бегали is a multidirectional verb of motion. We use it here with по because the children were running back and forth or all over the corridor, not just moving in one single, straight direction. If they were running from one end to the other in a straight line, you would use бежали.
Could по коридору also mean 'around the corridor'?
Yes! The preposition по plus the Dative case describes movement 'around', 'along', or 'all over' a surface or area. Depending on the context, по коридору covers all these types of scattered or back-and-forth movement.
What is the singular form of дети?
The singular is ребёнок (child). This is a completely irregular plural. Instead of just adding a standard plural ending, the word changes to дети when you talk about more than one child.