Breakdown of Флорист добавил в букет три больших пиона и два красных тюльпана.
и
and
большой
big
красный
red
в
in / to (direction)
два
two
три
three
добавить
to add
букет
bouquet
тюльпан
tulip
флорист
florist
пион
peony
Questions & Answers about Флорист добавил в букет три больших пиона и два красных тюльпана.
Why are the adjectives больших and красных in the genitive plural, while the nouns пиона and тюльпана are genitive singular?
This is the standard rule for masculine (and neuter) nouns paired with the numbers 2, 3, and 4. When the number itself is in the nominative or inanimate accusative case, the noun takes the genitive singular (пиона, тюльпана), but the adjective goes into the genitive plural (больших, красных).
Would it be acceptable to use nominative plural adjectives here, like два красные тюльпана?
For masculine and neuter nouns, the genitive plural adjective is the strong default and sounds much more natural. You would use the nominative plural adjective primarily when counting feminine nouns, such as две красные розы (two red roses).
If the nouns and adjectives are in the genitive, why aren't the numbers три and два in the genitive case too?
The numbers are the direct object of the verb добавил (added), so the entire phrase is actually in the accusative case. Because flowers are inanimate, the accusative forms of 2, 3, and 4 look exactly like the nominative (два, три). It is these numbers that force the words following them into the genitive, rather than the verb itself.
Why do we use в букет (accusative) here instead of the prepositional case в букете?
The action of adding flowers implies moving them into a new location. When в (in/into) shows the direction or destination of an action, it requires the accusative case. If you wanted to say the flowers were already sitting inside the bouquet, you would use the prepositional case (в букете).
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