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Questions & Answers about Мама украшает комнату.
What does the verb украшает mean, and how is it conjugated?
Украшает is the third-person singular form of the verb украшать, which means “to decorate.” It is in the present tense and matches the singular subject Мама (mom), indicating that she is the one performing the action.
What case is комнату in, and why is it used here?
Комнату is in the accusative case. In Russian, the accusative case is used for the direct object of a verb. Since комната (room) is what is being decorated, it takes the form комнату to show that relationship.
Does the present tense in Russian imply continuous or habitual action like in English?
In Russian, the present tense does not strictly differentiate between continuous and habitual actions as English does. The form украшает can mean either “decorates” or “is decorating,” with the context of the conversation providing additional clues to the intended meaning.
Why is the subject Мама explicitly stated in this sentence even though Russian verb forms indicate the subject?
While Russian verb conjugations do indeed indicate the subject, it is common practice to explicitly mention the subject for clarity or emphasis. In this sentence, Мама is in the nominative case and clearly identifies who is performing the action.
How does the word order in Мама украшает комнату compare to typical English sentence structure?
The sentence follows a standard Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order, which is similar to English (“Mom decorates the room”). However, it’s important to note that Russian word order is more flexible, allowing rearrangement for emphasis or stylistic reasons while maintaining the overall meaning.