Question 1

Why is the ordinal number пятом used instead of пятый?

Accepted Answer

It is in the prepositional case because it follows the preposition в (in) to indicate when this happened. Since раунд (round) is a masculine noun, the ordinal number пятый changes its ending to -ом to match, becoming пятом.

Question 2

Why doesn't первое change its ending in the same way?

Accepted Answer

The phrase первое место is the direct object of the verb занял (took), so it is in the accusative case. Because место is a neuter, inanimate noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative (dictionary) form. The ordinal number первое simply copies this behavior.

Question 3

Why is the verb занял in the masculine form if we don't know who won?

Accepted Answer

In Russian, the question word кто (who) is grammatically singular and masculine. When asking a question with кто in the past tense, you must always use the masculine singular verb form, like занял, even if you suspect the winner might be a woman or a group of people.

Question 4

Does the verb занял always mean "took" in the context of a competition?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in Russian you literally "occupy" a place in a competition. Занял comes from the perfective verb занять (to occupy, to take up). You will also see this verb used for borrowing money or occupying physical spaces. Its imperfective pair is занимать.

Кто занял первое место в пятом раунде?

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