Breakdown of Мы участвуем в уроке.
в
in / to (direction)
урок
lesson
участвовать
to take part, to participate
Questions & Answers about Мы участвуем в уроке.
Why is there a -у- in участвуем when the dictionary form is участвовать?
The verb участвовать (to participate) ends in -овать. In the present tense, verbs with this suffix drop the -ова- and replace it with -у- before adding the standard endings. For мы, we add -ем, which gives us участвуем.
Why does this sentence use в + Prepositional case instead of с + Instrumental?
While this lesson focuses on reciprocal verbs (doing things 'with' each other), участвовать (to participate) works differently. To say you participate 'in' something, Russian uses в followed by the Prepositional case. That is why the masculine noun урок gets the -е ending here.
Do I pronounce в уроке as two separate words?
No, in spoken Russian, short prepositions like в attach directly to the word that follows them. You should pronounce it smoothly as a single word sounding like вуроке.
Can I use участвовать в to say I am taking part 'in a school' or 'in a building'?
No, участвовать specifically means to participate in an activity, event, or process, like a lesson, a game, or a competition. You would not use it for just being inside a physical building.
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