Breakdown of Мы работаем в новой лаборатории.
мы
we
новый
new
работать
to work
в
in / to (direction)
лаборатория
laboratory
Questions & Answers about Мы работаем в новой лаборатории.
Why does лаборатории end in -ии instead of the usual prepositional -е?
The base form (nominative) of the word is лаборатория. Nouns ending in -ия (like Россия, история, or лаборатория) are a special group. Instead of taking the usual -е ending in the prepositional case, they always change to -ии.
Wait, doesn't the ending -ии also show up in other cases?
Yes, it does! For nouns ending in -ия, you use the exact same -ии ending for the prepositional, dative, and genitive cases. For example, you will see this same spelling in из новой лаборатории (out of the new laboratory), which uses the genitive case.
Why is the adjective новой instead of новом?
Adjectives must match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. Because лаборатория is a feminine noun in the prepositional case, the adjective новый (new) takes the feminine prepositional ending -ой to become новой. If it were a masculine noun, like офис (office), you would use в новом офисе.
Why do we use the preposition в here instead of на?
We use в because a laboratory is an enclosed physical space or room. While you would say на работе (at work) because work is considered a general activity or concept, you use в when talking about being physically inside a building or room.
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