Questions & Answers about Птенец открыл клюв, когда увидел еду.
Why is птенец used here, and what exactly does it mean?
Птенец means a young bird, often a chick or a nestling. It is a masculine noun in Russian.
In this sentence, птенец is the subject: the one doing the action.
Grammatically:
- dictionary form: птенец
- gender: masculine
- number: singular
That is why the past-tense verbs are also masculine singular: открыл and увидел.
Why are the verbs открыл and увидел in this form?
These are past tense, masculine singular forms.
Russian past tense agrees with the subject in gender and number:
- masculine singular: открыл, увидел
- feminine singular: открыла, увидела
- neuter singular: открыло, увидело
- plural: открыли, увидели
Because птенец is masculine singular, both verbs are masculine singular too.
Why is there no word for he before увидел?