Breakdown of Цыплёнок ел зерно так быстро, что дочка начала смеяться.
есть
to eat
смеяться
to laugh
быстро
fast
начать
to begin
Questions & Answers about Цыплёнок ел зерно так быстро, что дочка начала смеяться.
Why is it цыплёнок and not курица?
Цыплёнок means chick or baby chicken, while курица usually means hen/chicken. So the sentence specifically talks about a small chicken, not an adult one.
Also, цыплёнок is a masculine noun, which is why the verb is ел and not ела.
Why is the verb ел?
Ел is the masculine singular past tense form of есть (to eat).
It matches цыплёнок, which is:
- masculine
- singular
In Russian past tense, the verb agrees with the subject in gender and number:
- он ел = he was eating / ate
- она ела = she was eating / ate
- оно ело = it was eating / ate
- они ели = they were eating / ate
So цыплёнок ел = the chick was eating / ate.
Why is зерно in that form? Shouldn’t the object change case?