Learn Russian: Мы ехали по шоссе сквозь сильный дождь. - We were driving along the highway through heavy rain.

The preposition сквозь (through) requires the Accusative case. Because дождь (rain) is a masculine inanimate noun, its Accusative form is identical to its Nominative form. The adjective сильный (heavy/strong) also stays the same to match it.

What is the difference between using сквозь and через in this sentence?

Both can translate to "through" and both take the Accusative case. However, сквозь specifically emphasizes passing through a dense medium or a physical obstacle—like heavy rain, thick fog, or a dense forest. It paints a more vivid picture of the weather pushing against the car than через would.

Why use ехали instead of ездили?

Ехали is a unidirectional verb of motion. It is used here because the sentence describes a single, specific trip moving in one direction along the highway. If you were talking about driving back and forth, or making this trip regularly, you would use ездили.

Why doesn't the word шоссе (highway) change its ending after the preposition по?