Breakdown of Друг предложил обменяться находками.
друг
the friend
предложить
to suggest
находка
the find
обменяться
to exchange
Questions & Answers about Друг предложил обменяться находками.
Why is предложил in the past tense, and what does its form tell us?
Предложил is the past tense of предложить (to suggest, to offer).
Its form tells us:
- the action happened in the past;
- the subject is singular;
- the subject is masculine.
So Друг предложил... means that a male friend made the suggestion. If the subject were female, it would be подруга предложила or друг предложила only in a very unusual context.
Why is there an infinitive after предложил?
In Russian, предложить can be followed by an infinitive, just like English to suggest doing something.
So:
- Друг предложил обменяться находками = A friend suggested exchanging finds
This structure is very common:
- Он предложил пойти домой = He suggested going home
- Она предложила подождать = She suggested waiting
Russian can also use a чтобы clause, but the infinitive is very natural here.
What does обменяться mean exactly?