Learn Hardcore Russian: Такие формы описывают результат действия и часто переводятся как “is done.” - Such forms describe the result of an action and are often translated as “is done.”

Такие usually points to a type or category you’ve just described (e.g. short passive participles, resultative constructions, etc.), not to specific forms in front of you. It’s more general: forms of this kind.

Эти формы would sound more like these specific forms right here.

What is the grammatical role and case of формы?

Формы is:

nominative plural
feminine (singular: форма)
the subject of the sentence

So такие формы описывают… = such forms describe…. The verb описывают agrees with формы in person (3rd) and number (plural).

Why does такие look like that? What is it agreeing with?

Такие is the plural form of такой (such). It must agree with формы in:

gender: feminine (форма)
number: plural (формы)
case: nominative (subject)

So:

singular: такая форма (such a form)
plural: такие формы (such forms)

Why is it описывают, not описывает?

Описывают is 3rd person plural present tense of описывать (to describe).

он / она / оно описывает – he/she/it describes
они описывают – they describe

Because the subject формы (forms) is plural, the verb must also be plural: формы описывают = forms describe.

Why is описывают (imperfective) used here instead of a perfective verb?

The imperfective aspect (описывать) is used for:

general statements
habitual actions
definitions and descriptions

The sentence is describing a general rule: Such forms (in general) describe the result of an action. That’s exactly the typical use of the imperfective.

A perfective like опишут would sound more like a one-time future event (will describe) and wouldn’t fit a rule/definition.

What case is результат действия, and why is действия in the genitive?

Результат действия is a noun phrase:

результат – accusative singular (it’s the direct object of описывают)
действия – genitive singular

In Russian, результат чего? (result of what?) requires the genitive case. So результат действия literally = the result of an action.

Compare:

конец дня – the end of the day
начало урока – the beginning of the lesson
результат действия – the result of an action

Could it be результатом действия instead of результат действия?

You could say является результатом действия (is the result of an action) in some other sentence, but here it doesn’t fit the structure.

Current pattern:

Такие формы описывают результат действия.
Subject (формы) + verb (описывают) + direct object (результат действия).

If you used результатом действия, that’s instrumental case, which is used more with verbs like быть / являться to say X is Y:

Это является результатом действия. – This is the result of an action.

So результат действия (accusative) fits because it’s what the forms describe.

What does the -ся in переводятся mean?

Переводятся is переводят + -ся.

переводить – to translate
переводят – they translate
переводятся – they are translated

The ending -ся often turns an active verb into a reflexive or passive form. Here it’s a passive meaning:

active: Люди переводят эти формы как … – People translate these forms as …
passive: Эти формы переводятся как … – These forms are translated as …

So переводятся ≈ are translated.

Why is the verb переводятся plural in Russian, but the English pattern is is done (singular)?

In Russian, the verb agrees with реальное subject:

Такие формы … переводятся… – forms (plural) are translated (plural).

In the English explanation, is done is just an example of the English pattern, not a full sentence with its own subject. When you actually use it in context, English can also be plural:

These forms are translated as: “The work is done.”
These forms are translated as: “The letters are written.”

So there’s no contradiction: Russian is using real plural grammar; the English phrase is done is a model of the typical passive result in English.

Why is как used before the English example?

Как here means as or in the form of.

переводятся как … = are translated as …

So:

часто переводятся как “is done” → are often translated as “is done” (i.e. that’s the English pattern we usually pick).

Could the word order be different, like Результат действия описывают такие формы?

Yes, you can change the order:

Такие формы описывают результат действия. (neutral, standard → topic: forms)
Результат действия описывают такие формы. (focus more on result)
Результат действия такие формы описывают. (emphasizes these forms in contrast to others)

Russian word order is flexible, but the original version is the most neutral and textbook-like.

Why are both verbs in the present tense if we’re talking about a general rule?

Russian uses the present tense for:

timeless facts
definitions
general rules

So:

Такие формы описывают результат действия… – Such forms (always, generally) describe the result of an action…
…и часто переводятся как … – …and are often translated as …

This is the normal way to state grammatical rules and explanations in Russian.