In Russian, a circumstance is a member of a sentence, usually expressed by an adverb or (less commonly) a noun in the oblique case. It can also be expressed by single gerunds or full-fledged gerunds. New circumstances, which are more complex constructions, may include nouns and words dependent on them. There are five main groups into which circumstances are divided depending on what semantic function they perform in the sentence.
Circumstances of time
As you might guess from the name of the category, these circumstances are used to indicate the time frame in which an action has happened, is happening or will happen in the future. They answer the following questions:
- When? (Today, tomorrow, soon, next day).
- Since when? (Long ago, since last autumn, since September, since the very morning).
- Until when? (Until tomorrow, until Monday, until next winter, by morning).
- How long? (Long, about an hour, some time).
Here are some examples of using this category in sentences.
| Offer | Circumstance | What is expressed | Which question is answered by |
| I decided that we should leave tomorrow so as not to make our friends wait too long. | Tomorrow | Adverb | When? |
| The girls waited on the shore from early morning until late in the evening, but did not see a single ship. |
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| After waiting for a while, the man decided to return to the hotel. | For a while | Noun | How long? |
Circumstances of the place
Again, the name of the category makes it pretty clear what these circumstances are. Indeed, they are used to indicate the spatial framework in which this or that action takes place, as well as to indicate the direction of movement. Here are some of the questions they answer:
- Where? (Here, there, far, near, at home).
- Where to? (There, that way, the other way, left, right).
- From where? (Left, right, from that side, from this side, from afar).
These circumstances, just likethe previous category can be included in proposals. For example, as follows:
| Offer | Circumstance | What is expressed | Which question is answered by |
| You don't belong here. | Here | Adverb | Where? |
| We didn't find what we were looking for and decided to try going the other way. | To the other side | Noun with dependent word | Where to? |
| It is commendable and flattering that he came all the way to meet me. | From afar | Adverb | From where? |
Circumstances of course of action
With the help of these circumstances, one can describe the manner in which an action is performed. They always answer only two synonymous questions:
- How?
- How?
To better understand how the circumstances of the course of action work, you can look at the relevant examples:
| Offer | Circumstance | What is expressed | Which question is answered by |
| She smiled cheerfully at me and quickly walked towards a cozy roadside cafe. |
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How? How? |
| He was reading a book while lying on the couch. | Lying on the couch | Gerential phrase | |
| Laughing, the children ran out of the room. | Laughing | Single participle |
Circumstances of measure and degree
These circumstances answer the following questions:
- How much?
- To what extent?
- To what extent?
Fully corresponding to their name, they are used to convey the measure or degree of something, whether it is an action or a sign of an object.
| Offer | Circumstance | What is expressed | Which question is answered by |
| Teenagers have chosen a very good place to have fun. | Very | Adverb | How much? To what extent? To what extent? |
| I won't let anyone in on the details of my plans so that I don't have any problems later. | Full | Adverb | |
| Each of us was absolutely sure that it was he who deserved to win the competition. | Absolutely | Adverb |
Circumstances expressing cause and effect relationships
It is impossible to say unequivocally what questions the circumstances of this group answer, since it, in turn, is divided into four subgroups:
- Reason.
- Goals.
- Terms.
- Concessions.
| Offer | Circumstance | Subgroupcircumstances | What is expressed | Which question is answered by |
| My friends, going to the sea, bought a huge air mattress for swimming. | For swimming | Goal Circumstance | Noun | Why? For what? For what purpose? |
| Despite the storm warning, the ship went to sea. | Despite storm warning | Assignment Circumstance | Noun with dependent words | Despite what? Against what? |
| Because of the heat, travelers had to make a h alt. | Because of the heat | Circumstance cause | Noun | For what reason? Because of which? Because of what? |
| If I wanted to, I could study better. | If you wish | Circumstance of condition | Noun | On what condition? |
Some experts even consider them all independent categories, however, the meaning of circumstances from all four subgroups has some similarities and common features.
