Editing Russian language (section)

== Grammar ==
{{Main|Russian grammar}}

{{expand section|date=August 2014}}

Russian has preserved an [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] [[Synthetic language|synthetic]]-[[inflection]]al structure, although considerable [[Morphological levelling|leveling]] has occurred.
Russian grammar encompasses:

* a highly [[Fusional language|fusional]] '''morphology'''
* a '''syntax''' that, for the literary language, is the conscious fusion of three elements:<ref name="rbthdialects">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rbth.com/education/328851-dialects-russian-language/amp|title=Can Russians from different parts of the country understand each other?|website=www.rbth.com|access-date=16 February 2020|archive-date=13 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313070741/https://www.rbth.com/education/328851-dialects-russian-language/amp|url-status=live}}</ref>
** a polished [[vernacular]] foundation;{{clarify|What is this supposed to mean?|date=August 2014}}
** a [[Church Slavonic language|Church Slavonic]] inheritance;
** a [[Western Europe|Western European]] style.{{clarify|What is this supposed to mean?|date=August 2014}}

The spoken language has been influenced by the literary one but continues to preserve characteristic forms. The dialects show various non-standard grammatical features.<ref name="rbthdialects"/>

In terms of actual grammar, there are three [[tenses]] in Russian{{spaced en dash}} past, present, and future{{spaced en dash}} and each verb has two [[Grammatical aspect in Slavic languages|aspects]] (perfective and imperfective). Russian nouns each have a gender{{spaced en dash}} either feminine, masculine, or neuter, chiefly indicated by spelling at the end of the word. Words change depending on both their gender and function in the sentence. Russian has six [[Grammatical case|cases]]: Nominative (for the grammatical subject), Accusative (for direct objects), Dative (for indirect objects), Genitive (to indicate possession or relation), Instrumental (to indicate 'with' or 'by means of'), and Prepositional (used after the locative prepositions в "in", на "on", о "about", при "in the presence of"). Verbs of motion in Russian{{spaced en dash}} such as 'go', 'walk', 'run', 'swim', and 'fly'{{spaced en dash}} use the imperfective or perfective form to indicate a single or return trip, and also use a multitude of [[prefix]]es to add shades of meaning to the verb. Such verbs also take on different forms to distinguish between concrete and abstract motion.<ref name="Nesset">{{cite journal|last=Nesset|first=Tore|title=Path and Manner: An Image-Schematic Approach to Russian Verbs of Motion|journal=Scando-Slavica|date=2008|volume=54|issue=1|pages=135–158|doi=10.1080/00806760802494232|s2cid=123427088}}</ref>