Questions & Answers about В школе семьсот детей.
Why is there no word for "there are" in this sentence?
In Russian, sentences describing what exists in a specific location often just start with the location itself (в школе). You don't need a phrase like "there are" because simply stating the location and the subject (семьсот детей) is enough.
Why does the word for children (детей) look so different from the singular?
The singular word for a child is ребёнок, but the plural is completely irregular: дети. In this sentence, we need the genitive plural form, which changes to детей.
Why is детей in the genitive case here?
In Russian, quantities ending in numbers 5 and above (including round hundreds like семьсот) require the noun that follows them to be in the genitive plural case.
How is the number семьсот (seven hundred) formed?
It is literally a combination of семь (seven) and сот, which is the genitive plural of сто (hundred). Many hundreds in Russian are built this way, meaning "seven of hundreds".
Why do we use в (in) instead of a direct translation of "at" for "at the school"?
Russian typically uses в (in) combined with the prepositional case (школе) for buildings and enclosed institutions like a school, even when English naturally translates it as "at".
Learn В школе семьсот детей and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free