To understand how conjunctions work in sentences and how they change case usage in Russian, we first need to learn about the six grammatical cases. These cases are important in showing how words fit together in a sentence. Here’s a quick list of the cases:
Each case has its own job. They help us see how nouns (person, place, or thing), pronouns (like he, she, it), and adjectives (describing words) connect to verbs (action words) and other words.
Coordinating conjunctions are words like и (and), да (and), а (but), and но (but). These conjunctions link similar words, phrases, or parts of sentences together. They do not change the case of the words they connect. Each word keeps its original case.
Example:
Subordinating conjunctions are words like что (that), чтобы (so that), когда (when), хотя (although), and если (if). These words start dependent clauses. These can change how we use cases based on what the noun is doing in that clause.
Example:
Nominative: This is the subject of the sentence.
Genitive: This shows possession or absence.
Dative: This tells us the indirect object or who gets something.
Accusative: This is the direct object of the action.
Instrumental: This means “by” or “with” something.
Prepositional: This tells us about a location or topic.
When making sentences, pay attention to how conjunctions affect case usage. Different conjunctions can lead to different cases depending on how the sentence is set up, especially in subordinate clauses. As you practice, notice how nouns work to get the right cases in different situations.
To understand how conjunctions work in sentences and how they change case usage in Russian, we first need to learn about the six grammatical cases. These cases are important in showing how words fit together in a sentence. Here’s a quick list of the cases:
Each case has its own job. They help us see how nouns (person, place, or thing), pronouns (like he, she, it), and adjectives (describing words) connect to verbs (action words) and other words.
Coordinating conjunctions are words like и (and), да (and), а (but), and но (but). These conjunctions link similar words, phrases, or parts of sentences together. They do not change the case of the words they connect. Each word keeps its original case.
Example:
Subordinating conjunctions are words like что (that), чтобы (so that), когда (when), хотя (although), and если (if). These words start dependent clauses. These can change how we use cases based on what the noun is doing in that clause.
Example:
Nominative: This is the subject of the sentence.
Genitive: This shows possession or absence.
Dative: This tells us the indirect object or who gets something.
Accusative: This is the direct object of the action.
Instrumental: This means “by” or “with” something.
Prepositional: This tells us about a location or topic.
When making sentences, pay attention to how conjunctions affect case usage. Different conjunctions can lead to different cases depending on how the sentence is set up, especially in subordinate clauses. As you practice, notice how nouns work to get the right cases in different situations.