Breakdown of Они встретили гостей по-русски.
они
they
по-русски
in Russian
гость
guest
встретить
to meet (pf)
Questions & Answers about Они встретили гостей по-русски.
Doesn't по-русски usually mean speaking the Russian language? How does it mean 'in the Russian way' here?
The adverb по-русски literally means 'in a Russian manner'. While you often see it used with verbs like говорить (to speak), it can be used with any verb to describe doing something the way Russians do it. Here, they welcomed the guests with typical Russian hospitality.
Why does по-русски have a hyphen?
Adverbs formed from adjectives using the prefix по- and the suffix -и (which happens with adjectives ending in -ский, like русский) always require a hyphen. This is a strict spelling rule in Russian.
Why is the word for guests гостей instead of гости?
The verb встретили (welcomed/met) takes the accusative case because the guests are the direct object. Since гость (guest) is an animate noun, its accusative plural form looks identical to its genitive plural form, which is гостей.
I thought встретили meant 'met'. Why is it translated as 'welcomed'?
The verb встретить (and its imperfective pair встречать) means 'to meet', but in the context of guests arriving at your home, a venue, or an airport, it is the standard Russian term for 'to welcome' or 'to receive'.
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