Breakdown of Она избегает старинных замков, потому что боится призраков.
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
потому что
because
бояться
to be afraid
замок
castle
старинный
antique
избегать
to avoid (imperfective)
призрак
ghost (m)
Questions & Answers about Она избегает старинных замков, потому что боится призраков.
Why are старинных замков and призраков in the Genitive case here?
Both избегать (to avoid) and бояться (to fear) belong to a special group of verbs expressing fear, avoidance, or desire. In Russian, these verbs require their objects to be in the Genitive case rather than the Accusative. This is why you see the Genitive plural endings -ых and -ов.
Does the word замок (castle) lose a vowel when it changes form?
Yes, замок (castle, stress on the first syllable) has a fleeting vowel о that drops out when case endings are added. The stem becomes замк-, and the Genitive plural adds -ов, making it замков (stress stays on the first syllable). Be careful not to confuse it with замок (lock), which stresses the final syllable.
Why use старинных instead of старых for "ancient"?
Старый simply means "old" in terms of age. Старинный means "ancient," "antique," or "from olden times." It carries a historic, romantic, or fairy-tale vibe that fits perfectly when talking about spooky castles.
Since боится is a reflexive verb (ending in -ся), how can it take an object like призраков?
While reflexive verbs cannot take a direct object in the Accusative case, they can absolutely take objects in other cases! Because бояться (to fear) is a verb of fear, it governs the Genitive case. You can think of the Russian phrasing as meaning "to be fearful of ghosts."
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