Breakdown of Старый портрет находится внутри церкви.
старый
old
находиться
to be located
внутри
inside (location)
портрет
the portrait
Questions & Answers about Старый портрет находится внутри церкви.
Why does the word for church change to церкви here?
The preposition внутри (inside) always requires the Genitive case. The dictionary form is церковь (a feminine noun), and its Genitive form is церкви.
I learned that в means 'in'. Could I just say в церкви?
Yes, you can! However, внутри церкви strongly emphasizes the physical interior of the building ('inside the church' rather than outside it), whereas в церкви is a more general 'in the church' (which could also imply attending a service).
Why did the vowel -о- disappear from церковь to make церкви?
The -о- in церковь is a 'fleeting vowel'. In Russian, certain vowels in the root drop out when a case ending is added to make the word easier to pronounce. So, церковь naturally becomes церкви in the Genitive.
Why use находится instead of just leaving out the verb 'is' entirely?
You can absolutely leave it out and simply say Старый портрет внутри церкви. However, adding the verb находится (is located) is a very common and natural way in Russian to specify exactly where a physical object, place, or person is situated.