Breakdown of Он рассказал о запасах на двух складах.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
о
about (о, об, обо)
два
two
рассказать
to tell (perfective)
запас
stock
склад
warehouse
Questions & Answers about Он рассказал о запасах на двух складах.
Why does the sentence use двух складах instead of the usual два склада?
When using the numbers 2, 3, or 4 in the Nominative case (or inanimate Accusative), the noun takes the genitive singular (like два склада). However, this sentence is in the Prepositional case because of the preposition на (indicating location). In all oblique cases (any case other than Nominative/Accusative), the number and the noun must match in case, and both are put in the plural. So, два becomes its Prepositional form двух, and склад becomes the Prepositional plural складах.
Is двух exclusively the Prepositional form for the number two?
No, двух is a very common form that you will see a lot. It is used for the Prepositional case, the Genitive case, and the animate Accusative case (when talking about two people or animals). In this specific sentence it is Prepositional, triggered by the preposition на.
Why do we use the preposition на for "in two warehouses" instead of в?
In Russian, certain locations naturally pair with на (on/at) instead of в (in) to indicate location. The word склад (warehouse or storage) is a classic exception that you have to memorize. You always say на складе (in/at the warehouse) and на складах (in/at the warehouses).
Could запасах mean financial stocks or shares here?
No, запас strictly refers to a physical reserve, supply, or inventory of goods and materials. If he were talking about financial stocks or shares in a company, you would use the word акциях (the Prepositional plural of акция).
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