Breakdown of Я концентрируюсь на грамматике.
я
I
грамматика
the grammar
на
on
концентрироваться
to concentrate
Questions & Answers about Я концентрируюсь на грамматике.
Why does the verb end with -ся? What role does концентрируюсь play compared to концентрировать?
The suffix -ся turns концентрировать (to make something more concentrated, e.g. a solution) into концентрироваться (to concentrate oneself, i.e. to focus). This is a reflexive/impersonal form. When you say Я концентрируюсь, you mean “I focus (my attention)”, not “I make something more concentrated.”
How do I know which case грамматика takes after на?
With the preposition на meaning “on” or “onto,” we use the prepositional case to express location or focus. The feminine noun грамматика in the singular prepositional becomes грамматике. Hence на грамматике.
Why is it концентрируюсь на грамматике and not концентрируюсь грамматику?
The verb концентрироваться is intransitive in the sense “to focus on something.” It always requires на + prepositional case. If you drop на, you’d need a transitive verb form (which would change the meaning entirely, e.g. “to concentrate a liquid”), so концентрируюсь грамматику would be ungrammatical.
Should I ever use the perfective form сконцентрироваться here instead of концентрируюсь?