Портной распорол старый шов.

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Breakdown of Портной распорол старый шов.

• шов: the seam
• портной: the tailor
• распороть: to unpick stitches

Questions & Answers about Портной распорол старый шов.

Is портной a noun or an adjective? Why does it end in -ой?

Портной is a noun meaning tailor, but it declines like an adjective. That is why its nominative singular masculine form ends in -ой.

Its case forms are:

• портной — nominative
• портного — genitive / accusative animate
• портному — dative
• портным — instrumental
• портном — prepositional

In this sentence, портной is the subject, so it is in the nominative singular.

Why is the verb распорол in that exact form?

Распорол is the past tense masculine singular form of the perfective verb распороть.

In Russian past tense, the verb agrees with the subject in gender and number:

• портной распорол — masculine singular
• портниха распорола — feminine singular
• ателье распороло — neuter singular
• портные распороли — plural

Since портной is masculine singular, распорол is the correct form.

What aspect is распороть, and why is it used here?