Breakdown of Едва на сковороде появилось маленькое пламя, как мама взяла огнетушитель.
маленький
small
на
in
взять
to take
сковорода
the pan
Questions & Answers about Едва на сковороде появилось маленькое пламя, как мама взяла огнетушитель.
What does едва ... как mean in this sentence?
This is a very common Russian pattern meaning hardly ... when, as soon as ..., or no sooner ... than.
So:
- Едва на сковороде появилось маленькое пламя, как мама взяла огнетушитель.
literally feels like:
- Hardly had a small flame appeared in the pan when mom grabbed the fire extinguisher.
The idea is that the second action happened almost immediately after the first one.
Why is there a comma before как?
Because едва ... как works as a paired linking construction. The first part introduces the first event, and как introduces the main event that followed right away.
So the structure is:
- Едва [event 1], как [event 2].
That is why Russian places a comma before как here.
Why is появилось neuter singular?