Breakdown of Мы ждём прибытия поезда в пятнадцать минут третьего.
мы
we
поезд
train
минута
minute
в
on / during (a time period)
ждать
to wait (imperfective)
пятнадцать
fifteen
третий
third
прибытие
arrival (formal/general)
Questions & Answers about Мы ждём прибытия поезда в пятнадцать минут третьего.
Why does третьего translate to 'past two' instead of 'past three'?
In Russian, you express the first half of the hour by looking ahead to the upcoming hour. Третьего is the Genitive form of the ordinal number for 'third'. So, пятнадцать минут третьего literally means 'fifteen minutes of the third hour', which translates to 2:15.
Why do we need the preposition в before пятнадцать минут?
When stating at what exact minute something happens, you use в + Accusative case. Here, пятнадцать is in the Accusative. If you just said пятнадцать минут третьего without в, it would mean 'It is 2:15' rather than 'At 2:15'.
Why is прибытия (arrival) in the Genitive case instead of the Accusative here?
The verb ждать (to wait for / expect) usually takes the Genitive case when referring to abstract concepts or expected events, like an arrival (прибытие -> прибытия). It takes the Accusative mostly when you are waiting for specific, concrete people or physical objects.
Why is поезда also in the Genitive case?
It shows possession or association, equivalent to the English 'of'. Прибытия поезда literally means 'the arrival of the train' or 'the train's arrival'. Since it follows another noun, they are chained together using the Genitive.
Could I use the word for 'quarter' instead of пятнадцать минут?
Yes, it is very common and natural to say в четверть третьего (at a quarter past two). Четверть means 'a quarter', and you use it exactly the same way with the Genitive ordinal number representing the upcoming hour.
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