Question 1

Why is финансами in the instrumental case?

Accepted Answer

The verb заведовать (to manage or be in charge of) requires its object to be in the instrumental case. This is a common pattern for Russian verbs dealing with control, management, or possession, similar to how управлять (to manage) and владеть (to own) also take the instrumental. Therefore, the nominative plural финансы becomes the instrumental финансами.

Question 2

How does заведовать differ from other management verbs like руководить or управлять?

Accepted Answer

While all three govern the instrumental case, they have distinct nuances. Заведовать usually implies being the administrative head of a specific department, facility, or resource (like finances, a clinic, or a warehouse). Руководить is mostly used for leading people, projects, or a team. Управлять is broader, meaning to steer or operate something, like managing a whole business or driving a vehicle.

Question 3

What is the infinitive of заведует and why does the stem look different?

Accepted Answer

The infinitive is заведовать. This is a great reminder of a foundational rule: verbs ending in -овать or -евать drop that suffix and replace it with -у- or -ю- in the present tense. So, заведовать conjugates to заведует for the third-person singular.

Question 4

If we suspect multiple people are in charge, could we use the plural verb form and ask: Кто здесь заведуют?

Accepted Answer

No. In Russian, the question word кто strictly acts as a singular, masculine subject. Even if you fully expect the answer to be a group of people or a woman, the verb in the question must remain in the third-person singular form (заведует).

Кто здесь заведует финансами?

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