Breakdown of Завтра они доставят груз в трёх контейнерах.
они
they
в
in / to (direction)
три
three
завтра
tomorrow
груз
cargo
доставить
to deliver (perfective)
контейнер
container
Questions & Answers about Завтра они доставят груз в трёх контейнерах.
Why does the sentence use трёх instead of just три?
Because the cargo is located 'in' the containers, the preposition в requires the prepositional case. For the number три, the prepositional form is трёх.
I learned that after 2, 3, and 4, the noun should be in the genitive singular. Why is контейнерах in the plural?
The 'genitive singular' rule only applies when the number phrase is in the nominative or inanimate accusative case. In all other cases (like the prepositional case used here), the number and the noun must match in case, and the noun always takes a plural ending. So both трёх and контейнерах are in the prepositional plural.
How do we know доставят means 'will deliver' when there is no future tense helper word like будут?
The verb доставить is perfective, meaning it focuses on the successful completion of an action. When you conjugate a perfective verb using standard present-tense endings, it automatically refers to the future. Helper words like будут are only used to form the future tense of imperfective verbs.
Is груз in the nominative case here?
It looks exactly like the nominative, but it is actually in the accusative case because it is the direct object receiving the action (it is the thing they will deliver). For inanimate masculine nouns like груз, the accusative form is identical to the nominative form.
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