Breakdown of Инженер не рассчитал приблизительно двухсот пятидесяти девяти метров периметра.
не
not
девять
nine
метр
metre
инженер
engineer
пятьдесят
fifty
двести
two hundred
рассчитать
to calculate
приблизительно
approximately
периметр
perimeter
Questions & Answers about Инженер не рассчитал приблизительно двухсот пятидесяти девяти метров периметра.
Why is the number 259 written as двухсот пятидесяти девяти in the Genitive case here?
The negated verb не рассчитал (did not calculate) triggers the Genitive case for its direct object, especially since it refers to a quantified measurement rather than a specific physical object. In Russian, when a compound number is in an oblique case (like the Genitive), every single word in that number must decline to match the case.
How exactly do the individual parts of 259 decline to get двухсот пятидесяти девяти?
Let's break it down word by word. Двести (200) becomes двухсот. Пятьдесят (50) is tricky because both halves of the word decline like 3rd-declension feminine nouns, making it пятидесяти (from пяти + десяти). Finally, девять (9) becomes девяти.
Does the word метров take the Genitive plural because the number ends in nine, or because the whole phrase is Genitive?
Because the whole phrase is in the Genitive! In the Nominative or Accusative case, the last digit dictates the noun's case. But remember the rule for oblique cases: when a compound number is in an oblique case (Genitive, Dative, Instrumental, or Prepositional), the noun simply matches the case of the number, in the plural. So, we use the Genitive plural метров.
Could we have used the Accusative case for the measurement instead of the Genitive?
It is grammatically possible but much less natural here. The Genitive case is strongly preferred for the direct object of a negated verb (не рассчитал) when dealing with abstract amounts or measurable quantities. If the engineer failed to calculate one specific, physical 259-meter object, the Accusative might be used, but for a mathematical quantity, the Genitive is standard.
Why is периметра in the Genitive singular?
This is a standard possession or relationship Genitive, meaning "of the perimeter". It directly translates the relationship "259 meters of the perimeter".
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