Картина, написанная известным художником, впечатлила всех.

The painting, created by a famous artist, impressed everyone.

Breakdown of Картина, написанная известным художником, впечатлила всех.

• картина: the painting
• написанный: painted
• известный: famous
• художник: the artist
• впечатлить: to impress
• все: everyone

Questions & Answers about Картина, написанная известным художником, впечатлила всех.

What does the participial phrase написанная известным художником indicate in the sentence?

It functions as a descriptive clause modifying Картина. In essence, it tells us that the painting was painted by a famous artist—similar to a relative clause in English that would read “that was painted by a famous artist.”

Why is the participial phrase set off by commas in this sentence?

Russian punctuation rules require that participial phrases providing additional, non-essential information be separated from the main clause with commas. Here, the phrase написанная известным художником is extra information about Картина, so it is enclosed by commas.

How does the participle написанная agree with the noun Картина?

The participle написанная is in the feminine singular nominative form, matching the noun Картина, which is also feminine singular in the nominative case. This agreement ensures the modifier correctly refers to the noun it describes.

Why is the phrase известным художником in the instrumental case?

In Russian, when a passive construction indicates the agent performing the action, the instrumental case is used. Известным художником means “by a famous artist,” with the instrumental case marking the agent responsible for the painting.

Why is the verb впечатлила in the feminine singular form?

The verb впечатлила agrees with its subject, Картина, which is a feminine singular noun. In Russian, verbs in the past tense must agree in gender and number with their subjects, hence the feminine singular form is used here.