Questions & Answers about Я склеил модель самолёта.
What is the infinitive form of склеил and what does it mean?
The infinitive is склеить, a perfective verb meaning “to glue together” or “to assemble with glue.” It’s formed from the imperfective base клеить (to glue) plus the prefix с-, which here conveys the idea of joining parts completely.
What’s the difference between клеил and склеил in Russian?
Клеил is the imperfective past (from клеить) and describes an ongoing, repeated or unfinished action (I was gluing / I used to glue). Склеил is the perfective past (from склеить) and indicates a completed action (I have glued / I finished gluing). In your sentence, you’ve completed the assembly, so you use the perfective склеил.
Why does склеил end with -ил and not -ила? How would the sentence change if a woman said it?
In Russian, past-tense verbs agree with the subject’s gender and number.
• A masculine speaker uses склеил (ending -ил).
• A feminine speaker would say Я склеила модель самолёта (ending -ила).
• A plural subject would use склеили.
Why is модель in the form модель here? Isn’t that the nominative?