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Questions & Answers about Вода течёт медленно.
What is the grammatical role of Вода in the sentence?
Вода is the subject. It is a feminine noun in the nominative case, meaning “water.” Its position as the subject is clear from both its form and its placement at the beginning of the sentence.
Why is the verb течёт used, and what does its conjugation tell us?
течёт is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb течь (“to flow”). The conjugation agrees with the singular subject Вода. In addition, the use of the letter ё indicates that the syllable where it appears is stressed.
What function does the adverb медленно serve here?
медленно is an adverb modifying the verb течёт. It describes the manner in which the water flows (“slowly”). In Russian, adverbs do not change form and are usually positioned after the verb they modify, though the word order can be flexible.
Is the word order in Вода течёт медленно. strict or flexible in Russian?
Russian word order is relatively flexible due to its case system. While the basic order here is Subject-Verb-Adverb, you can rearrange the parts to emphasize different elements without changing the overall meaning of the sentence.
What should learners know about the pronunciation and spelling of течёт?
The vowel ё in течёт must be pronounced distinctly (roughly /tʲɪˈtʲɵt/), marking the stressed syllable. This distinguishes it from similar forms where only е is used. Paying attention to ё is important because it affects both the pronunciation and the clarity of meaning.
Why does the adverb медленно contain a double н?
медленно is formed from the adjective медленный (“slow”), which naturally contains a double н. When forming the corresponding adverb, the spelling is retained. This is a standard morphological pattern in Russian for adjectives ending in -нный when they are converted to adverbs.