Breakdown of Они спорили о собственности.
о
about
они
they
спорить
to argue
собственность
property; ownership
Questions & Answers about Они спорили о собственности.
Why is спорили in the past tense, and what form is it exactly?
Спорили is the past tense plural form of the verb спорить.
- infinitive: спорить = to argue / to dispute
- past masculine singular: спорил
- past feminine singular: спорила
- past neuter singular: спорило
- past plural: спорили
It agrees with они because они is plural.
Also, спорить is imperfective, so спорили usually suggests an ongoing process, repeated arguing, or simply describes the fact that they were engaged in an argument.
Why is the verb спорить, not some other verb for argue?
Спорить is a very common verb meaning to argue, dispute, debate.
It is often used:
- with с кем = to argue with someone
- спорить с братом = to argue with one’s brother
- with о чём = to argue about something
- спорить о политике = to argue about politics
So in Они спорили о собственности, the pattern is very standard:
- они = they
- спорили = were arguing / argued
- о собственности = about property / ownership
Why do we say о собственности? What case is собственности in?