Breakdown of Первая лекция читается профессором каждый вторник.
читать
to read
лекция
lecture
вторник
Tuesday
каждый
every
первый
first (1st)
профессор
professor
Questions & Answers about Первая лекция читается профессором каждый вторник.
Why is профессором in the Instrumental case?
In Russian passive sentences, the person doing the action (the agent) is put in the Instrumental case without a preposition. Since the lecture is given by the professor, профессор becomes профессором.
Why does the verb читается end in -ся?
The -ся ending makes the verb passive. Instead of saying the professor reads the lecture (active), this ending flips it so the lecture 'is being read' (passive). Adding -ся to an imperfective verb is a standard way to form the passive voice in Russian.
The English translation says 'is given', but doesn't читается mean 'is read'?
Yes, literally this sentence means the lecture is read. In Russian, you don't 'give' a lecture; instead, the standard combination is to 'read' a lecture (читать лекцию).
What case is каждый вторник in, and why?
It is in the Accusative case. In Russian, to express that an action happens on a recurring day or time period (like 'every Tuesday' or 'every morning'), you put каждый and the time word in the Accusative case with no prepositions.
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