Breakdown of Магазин закрывается в девять.
магазин
store, shop
девять
nine
закрываться
to close (intransitive)
Questions & Answers about Магазин закрывается в девять.
Why does закрывается have the reflexive -ся ending here?
This is how Russian forms a passive meaning with imperfective verbs. A shop is an inanimate object, so it cannot actively close something. By adding -ся to закрывать (to close), it shows that the shop 'is closed' or 'closes' as a general rule, without specifying who is locking the doors.
Could I use the perfective verb закроется instead?
You could, but it would change the meaning. Because закрывается is imperfective, it describes a routine or schedule (the shop closes at nine every day). If you used the perfective закроется, it would mean a one-time future event, like 'The shop will close at nine (today).'
What case is used for в девять?
It is in the Accusative case. To say 'at' a specific hour on the clock, Russian uses the preposition в followed by the Accusative. Numbers like девять do not change their form in the Accusative case, so it looks exactly like the dictionary form.
Do I need to add часов (o'clock) after девять?
You do not have to. Just like in English where you can say 'at nine' instead of 'at nine o'clock', Russians frequently drop часов in everyday conversation when the context of time is obvious.
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