Breakdown of Pas se zavukao pod deku.
pas
dog
deka
blanket
pod
under (+ instrumental)
zavući se
to crawl under, to hide under
Questions & Answers about Pas se zavukao pod deku.
Why is deku in the accusative case here instead of the instrumental?
The preposition pod (under) takes the accusative case when it shows motion toward a destination. Because the dog is actively moving to get under the blanket, we use the accusative deku. If the dog were already resting under the blanket (showing location rather than motion), we would use the instrumental case (pod dekom).
What is the infinitive of zavukao, and what does it literally mean?
The infinitive is zavući se. It literally means to pull oneself into or under a space, and is used for creeping, crawling, or sneaking into tight spots. Because it implies moving into a hiding spot, it pairs perfectly with destination prepositions like pod.
Why does the past tense verb zavukao end in -kao?
The verb zavući se is built from the root verb vući (to pull). Verbs ending in -ći have irregular past tense forms that you simply have to memorize. For vući, the masculine singular form is vukao. Adding the prefix za- makes it zavukao.
Why do we need the reflexive pronoun se in this sentence?
We use se because the dog is moving itself. Without se, the base verb zavući means to drag or pull an object into a space. By adding se, the action becomes reflexive, showing that the dog crawled or pulled itself under the blanket.
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