Question 1

The current lesson covers в случае plus a Genitive noun or clause. Why doesn't в любом случае require one?

Accepted Answer

While в случае means "in the case of" and needs you to specify what that case is, в любом случае is a self-contained fixed phrase meaning "in any case" or "anyway". The adjective любом (any) already fulfills the condition, so no Genitive noun or если clause is needed after it.

Question 2

Could I use the phrase во всяком случае here instead?

Accepted Answer

You could, but the nuance shifts slightly. В любом случае strictly means "no matter what happens" or "regardless of the outcome". Во всяком случае can mean the same thing, but it is also frequently used to mean "at any rate" or "at least" when you are scaling back or clarifying a previous statement.

Question 3

Why use the perfective imperative позвони instead of the imperfective звони?

Accepted Answer

The perfective позвони is used here because the speaker expects a single, specific, and completed result: "make sure you get in touch with me tonight". The imperfective звони would sound more like a general, open-ended invitation ("call me whenever you feel like it") or a continuous process.

Question 4

Just as a refresher, why is the noun вечер in the Instrumental case here?

Accepted Answer

In Russian, times of day (morning, afternoon, evening, night) and seasons are put into the Instrumental case to indicate when an action happens. So, the noun вечер (evening) becomes the adverbial вечером to mean "in the evening".

В любом случае позвони мне вечером.

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