Breakdown of Над кроватью висит картина.
кровать
bed
картина
picture / painting
над
above / on (working on something)
висеть
to hang
Questions & Answers about Над кроватью висит картина.
Why does кровать change to кроватью in this sentence?
The preposition над (above) requires the Instrumental case to describe a location. кровать (bed) is a feminine noun that ends in a soft sign (-ь). To put this specific type of noun into the Instrumental case, you replace the soft sign with -ью, resulting in кроватью.
Does над ever take a case other than the Instrumental?
No. When used to mean "above" or "over," над always takes the Instrumental case. Unlike prepositions like в (in) or на (on), which switch to the Accusative case for motion, над does not change.
Why does the sentence start with the location instead of the subject (картина)?
In Russian, the most important or "newest" piece of information is usually placed at the very end of the sentence. By setting the scene first (Над кроватью висит...) and ending with картина, the sentence emphasizes what is hanging there. This is why we translate it with the indefinite article in English: "A picture..."
What is the infinitive form of висит?
The infinitive is висеть (to hang / to be in a hanging state). Keep in mind that this verb is used only for the state of hanging. If you wanted to talk about a person performing the action of hanging a picture on the wall, you would use a different verb (вешать).
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