Breakdown of Мы с напарником работали трое суток без перерыва.
мы
we
работать
to work
с
with (also со)
без
without
перерыв
break
сутки
twenty-four hours, a full day
трое
three (collective)
напарник
partner (workmate, teammate)
Questions & Answers about Мы с напарником работали трое суток без перерыва.
Why use the collective numeral трое here instead of the regular number три?
The word сутки (a 24-hour period) is a "plural-only" noun, meaning it has no singular form in Russian. When you count plural-only nouns, you must use collective numerals like двое, трое, or четверо instead of regular numbers. After the collective numeral, the noun takes the Genitive Plural form, which is суток.
Why use суток instead of дней for "days"?
While день means "day", сутки specifically refers to a full 24-hour cycle of day and night. By saying трое суток, the speaker emphasizes that they worked continuously around the clock for 72 hours, not just during normal daytime working hours.
Why does the Russian sentence say Мы с напарником (We with partner) instead of just Я и напарник (I and partner)?
The structure мы с + [noun in the Instrumental case] is the most natural and common way to say "[someone] and I" in Russian. While я и напарник is grammatically possible, native speakers overwhelmingly prefer the мы с... construction.
What case is used in the phrase без перерыва?
перерыва is in the Genitive case. The preposition без (without) always requires the following noun to be in the Genitive case. The base dictionary form of the word is перерыв (break).
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