Breakdown of Собака бегает по лестнице.
собака
dog
бегать
to run (multidirectional)
по
along, around
лестница
stairs, staircase
Questions & Answers about Собака бегает по лестнице.
Why is по translated as "on" here instead of "along" or "around"?
The preposition по followed by the Dative case describes motion "along" a surface or "around" an area. When a dog runs "on" the stairs, it is moving along that surface, so Russian uses по to capture this idea.
Why does лестница change to лестнице?
Because it comes right after the preposition по. When talking about moving along or around a place, по requires the Dative case. For feminine nouns ending in -а like лестница, the Dative ending changes to -е.
Why use the verb бегает instead of бежит?
Бегает is a multidirectional verb of motion. It is used here because the dog is likely running up and down, back and forth, or just generally running around on the stairs. If the dog were running in one clear direction (for example, making a single trip straight down the stairs), you would use the unidirectional verb бежит.
Why is лестнице in the singular form when the English translation says "stairs" (plural)?
In Russian, the word лестница refers to a staircase, a ladder, or a flight of stairs, and it is a singular noun. While English speakers usually talk about the individual "stairs" in the plural, Russians treat the whole set of steps as one single object.
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