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Questions & Answers about Снег падает медленно.
Why doesn’t снег require an article like the in English?
Russian has no articles (no equivalent of a/an or the). Nouns stand on their own, and context tells you whether you mean “some snow,” “the snow,” or “snow in general.”
What case is снег in, and why?
снег is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence (the thing performing the action “falls”).
Why is the verb падает in the simple present tense, and how do we express “is falling”?
Russian uses a single present tense for ongoing actions. There is no separate “present continuous” form like in English. падает simply means both “falls” and “is falling” depending on context.
What aspect is падает, and how would I say “will fall” or “has fallen”?
падает is imperfective aspect, focusing on the ongoing process.
– Perfective “will fall”: упадёт (future simple, completed action)
– Perfective past “has fallen” (or “fell”): упал (masc.), упала (fem.)
Why is медленно used instead of медленный?
медленный is an adjective (meaning “slow,” describing a noun). We need an adverb to describe the verb “falls.” The adverb form is медленно.
Can I move медленно to another position in the sentence?
Yes. Russian word order is flexible.
– Медленно падает снег. (emphasizes медленно)
– Снег медленно падает. (neutral)
– Снег падает медленно. (neutral, slightly more colloquial)
Shifting the adverb changes nuance and emphasis, but all are correct.
How do I pronounce медленно?
Pronunciation: [ˈmʲedlʲnə]
– Stress on the first syllable: МЕдленно
– The дл sequence is pronounced like [dl], a quick transition.
Could I use another word for “slowly,” like тихо or мягко?
тихо means “quietly,” and мягко means “softly,” so they don’t convey speed. A synonym for “slowly” is неторопливо, but медленно is the most common.