Questions & Answers about В книге двести страниц.
Why isn't there a word for "there are" in this sentence?
In Russian, sentences that express "there is" or "there are" in a specific location often don't need a verb. By putting the location first (в книге) followed by the subject (двести страниц), the "there are" meaning is naturally understood. We usually drop words like есть (is/are) when the focus is on a specific quantity rather than just stating the fact that something exists.
Why does the word страница (page) change to страниц here?
It is in the genitive plural case. In Russian, quantities of 5 and above (including 200) require the noun that follows them to be in the genitive plural. For regular feminine nouns ending in -а like страница, the genitive plural is formed by dropping that final -а, leaving us with страниц.
Is двести (two hundred) related to the word for "two"?
Yes! It is literally a combination of две (the feminine form of two) and сти (an old grammatical form of the word for hundred, сто). Russian merges them into a single word to mean two hundred: двести.
Why is it в книге instead of в книгу?
Because the pages are simply resting inside the book, which is a static location. To show location (answering the question "where?"), the preposition в requires the prepositional case, making it в книге. You would only use the accusative case (в книгу) if you were talking about motion or direction, like inserting a bookmark into the book.
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