Breakdown of У этого клиента особый случай.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
клиент
client
случай
case, occasion
особый
special, particular
Questions & Answers about У этого клиента особый случай.
The translation says "This client is a special case," but doesn't у mean "has"?
Yes, literally this translates to "At this client [is a] special case." In Russian, medical conditions, situations, and circumstances tied to a person are often expressed using the у + [Genitive] possession structure rather than saying the person "is" the case.
Why is есть (is/has) omitted here? Shouldn't it be У этого клиента есть особый случай?
You usually drop есть when describing a quality, condition, or abstract situation rather than physical ownership. Since we are describing the specific nature of the client's situation rather than stating that a physical object exists, есть is left out.
What case is этого клиента in and why?
It is in the Genitive case. The preposition у always requires the Genitive case, which is why the masculine words этот клиент change to этого клиента.
Why is особый случай in the Nominative case instead of the Accusative?
In Russian possession constructions, the thing being experienced or owned is actually the grammatical subject of the sentence. Because it is the subject, особый случай (special case) stays in the Nominative case.
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