Breakdown of Я еду к двум поставщикам с этим грузом.
я
I
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
ехать
to go (by vehicle)
два
two
Questions & Answers about Я еду к двум поставщикам с этим грузом.
Why is it двум поставщикам? I thought numbers 2, 3, and 4 are followed by the genitive singular.
That rule only applies when the number is in the Nominative case (or inanimate Accusative). Because the preposition к requires the Dative case, the number declines to двум. When numbers 2, 3, and 4 are in oblique cases (like Dative, Instrumental, or Prepositional), the noun drops the 'genitive singular' rule and simply matches the number in the plural form of that specific case. So we use the Dative plural поставщикам.
Why do we use the preposition к here instead of в or на to mean 'to'?
You use к (which always takes the Dative case) when your destination is a person, an animal, or a group of people, like these suppliers (поставщикам). You would use в or на with the Accusative case if you were going to a physical place or an event.
How do I know whether to use двум or двумя?
It depends on the case the surrounding sentence requires. The preposition к requires the Dative case, and the Dative form of два (two) is двум. If you needed the Instrumental case instead (for example, if you were doing business 'with' two suppliers: с двумя поставщиками), you would use двумя.
Why use the verb еду instead of иду or езжу?