Breakdown of Ветеринаром осматривается каждый питомец, пришедший в клинику.
в
to
каждый
every
ветеринар
the veterinarian
клиника
the clinic
Questions & Answers about Ветеринаром осматривается каждый питомец, пришедший в клинику.
Why is ветеринаром in the instrumental case?
In Russian passive (or “indefinite-personal”) constructions with -ся, the noun representing the agent (the “doer” of the action) is put in the instrumental case. Here ветеринаром literally means “by the veterinarian.”
What does the -ся suffix do in осматривается?
The suffix -ся makes the verb passive or reflexive. In осматривается it creates a passive meaning: “(is) examined.” There is no “self”-meaning here; it simply shifts the focus onto the pet being examined.
Why is the word order ветеринаром осматривается каждый питомец instead of каждый питомец осматривается ветеринаром?
Russian has relatively free word order. Placing ветеринаром at the start can highlight the agent (the veterinarian) or serve a stylistic purpose. The neutral, most common order would be Каждый питомец осматривается ветеринаром.
Is the comma before пришедший в клинику necessary?
It depends. Пришедший в клинику is a participle phrase describing питомец, and when a participle phrase follows its noun, it is usually set off with commas if it’s non-restrictive. If it’s essential to the meaning (restrictive), you can omit the comma. In many formal texts the comma is still used for clarity.