Breakdown of Они встретились около больницы.
они
they
больница
hospital
около
near
встретиться
to meet / to meet up (with each other)
Questions & Answers about Они встретились около больницы.
Why does больница change to больницы here?
The preposition около (meaning "near") always requires the Genitive case. Since больница is a feminine noun ending in -а, its Genitive form replaces the ending with -ы, giving us больницы.
Why do we use the reflexive verb встретились instead of just встретили?
The suffix -сь makes the verb reflexive, meaning the action is shared between the subjects—they met each other. If you used встретили, it would mean they met someone else, and you would need to add a direct object (for example, Они встретили друга - They met a friend).
Could I use рядом с instead of около in this sentence?
Yes, you could say Они встретились рядом с больницей. The overall meaning is nearly identical. Около simply means "near" or "in the vicinity of," while рядом с (which requires the Instrumental case) slightly emphasizes being right next to or side-by-side with something.
Can I use около to talk about time, too?
Yes, it is very common! While in this sentence около describes a physical location, it is also used to describe an approximate time or quantity. For example, около часа means "around one o'clock" or "about an hour." It always takes the Genitive case, whether talking about space or time.
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