Breakdown of Длинная река тянется через город.
город
the city
длинный
long
река
the river
тянуться
to stretch
Questions & Answers about Длинная река тянется через город.
Why does the adjective end in -ая in длинная река?
Because река is a feminine noun in the nominative singular, the adjective must agree with it in gender, number, and case. That’s why you see длинная (feminine, nominative, singular).
Why is река in the nominative case and not the accusative?
Река is the subject of the sentence (it’s what “stretches”), and since тянуться is an intransitive verb here, the subject appears in the nominative case.
What does the verb тянуться mean, and how is it different from тянуть?
Тянуться (imperfective, reflexive) means “to extend,” “to stretch out,” or “to pull itself,” whereas тянуть (imperfective, non-reflexive) means “to pull” something (you or another agent pulls a direct object).
What is the function of the -ся suffix in тянется?
The -ся suffix makes the verb reflexive or passive. In this sentence, it shows that the river “stretches out by itself,” i.e. it extends across the city without an external agent.
Why is город unchanged in через город? Isn’t that accusative?