Breakdown of Продавец улыбнулся, предлагая виноград и яблоки.
яблоко
the apple
и
and
улыбнуться
to smile
продавец
the seller
предлагать
to offer
виноград
the grape
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Questions & Answers about Продавец улыбнулся, предлагая виноград и яблоки.
What does продавец mean in the sentence?
Продавец translates to “seller”. It is the subject of the sentence and tells us who is performing the actions mentioned.
What does улыбнулся signify, and why is it in this particular form?
Улыбнулся means “smiled.” It is in the masculine singular past tense, agreeing with продавец (the seller), who is masculine.
What is the role of the phrase предлагая виноград и яблоки?
This phrase is an adverbial participial clause (деепричастный оборот) that describes a simultaneous action. It tells us that as the seller smiled, he was offering grapes and apples. Essentially, it means “while offering grapes and apples.”
How is the word предлагая formed, and what does it imply about the action?
Предлагая is the de‑eprichastie (adverbial participle) form of the verb предлагать (to offer). It implies that the action of offering was occurring concurrently with the main action (smiling).
Why is there a comma before предлагая виноград и яблоки?
In Russian, adverbial participial clauses are usually set off by a comma from the main clause. Here, the comma separates the main action «продавец улыбнулся» from the additional detail about what the seller was doing concurrently.
Why are виноград and яблоки treated differently in terms of number?
Виноград is typically used as a collective noun referring to a bunch of grapes and is expressed in the singular form. In contrast, яблоки is the plural form of яблоко (apple) because it refers to more than one apple.
Is the subject of the participial clause explicitly mentioned?
No, the subject is not repeated in the participial clause. It is understood to be the same as the subject of the main clause—продавец. This is a common linguistic feature in Russian where the de‑eprichastie shares the subject with the primary clause.