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Questions & Answers about Зимой я надеваю сапоги.
Why is 'In winter' translated as зимой instead of using a preposition with зима?
In Russian, to say that something happens during a certain season or time of day, you just put the noun into the Instrumental case—no preposition needed! Зима (winter) becomes зимой. You will also see this with летом (in summer), весной (in spring), and утром (in the morning).
Why use the verb надеваю here instead of одеваю?
This is a classic stumbling block! You use надевать when you are putting an item of clothing on (like boots, a hat, or a coat). You use одевать when you are dressing a person (like a child). Since you are putting on an item of clothing, надеваю is the correct choice here.
What case is сапоги (boots) in this sentence?
It is in the Accusative case because the boots are the direct object—they are the thing you are putting on. Because boots are inanimate (not alive), their plural Accusative form looks exactly the same as their Nominative (dictionary) plural form.
Why is the imperfective verb надевать used here?
The word Зимой (In winter) tells us this is a habitual, repeated action. You put high boots on regularly every winter. Russian uses imperfective verbs to describe habits and routines.