Breakdown of В понедельник я купил коробку для пятнадцати папок.
я
I
купить
to buy (perfective)
в
on / during (a time period)
понедельник
Monday
для
for
папка
folder
пятнадцать
fifteen
коробка
box (cardboard)
Questions & Answers about В понедельник я купил коробку для пятнадцати папок.
Why does the number пятнадцать end in -и here?
The preposition для (for) requires the Genitive case. Numbers from 5 to 20 end in a soft sign and decline just like feminine nouns ending in a soft sign, such as тетрадь. In the Genitive case, that soft sign changes to an -и, giving us пятнадцати.
Why is it пятнадцати папок instead of keeping the noun in the singular?
When a number from 5 onwards is in an oblique case (any case other than Nominative or inanimate Accusative), the number and the noun it counts must agree in case. Since для requires the Genitive case, both the number and the plural noun go into the Genitive case. The Genitive plural of папка is папок.
Why use для for "for"? Don't we use за when talking about buying things?
You use за plus the Accusative case when talking about price or exchange, like buying a box for 15 rubles (за пятнадцать рублей). However, in this sentence, the box is intended to hold the folders. When "for" indicates purpose or intended use, you must use для plus the Genitive case.
Where did the -о- come from in папок?
To form the Genitive plural of папка, you drop the final -а. This leaves папк, which ends in an awkward consonant cluster. To make pronunciation easier, Russian inserts a "fleeting vowel" (an -о-) between the last two consonants.
A quick refresher: why is it в понедельник?
To say that an event happens "on" a specific day of the week, Russian uses the preposition в followed by the Accusative case. Because понедельник is an inanimate masculine noun, its Accusative form looks exactly the same as its Nominative form.
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