Breakdown of Наш директор увлекается этим новым проектом.
новый
new
наш
our
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
директор
director
проект
the project
увлекаться
to be fond of
Questions & Answers about Наш директор увлекается этим новым проектом.
Why is the project in the Instrumental case (этим новым проектом)? Is it a tool being used here?
Not in this sentence. While the Instrumental case is often used to show the tool or means used to do something, it is also required by certain verbs. The verb увлекается (is passionate about / is into) always forces the object of interest into the bare Instrumental case, without any prepositions.
How do we form the endings for этим новым?
These are the masculine singular Instrumental endings, matching the masculine noun проектом. The demonstrative pronoun for 'this' (этот) changes to этим. Adjectives like новый (new) take the -ым ending to become новым.
Why does увлекается end in -ся?
The -ся ending makes it a reflexive verb. While the non-reflexive verb увлекать means to captivate or drag someone else along, adding -ся turns the action back on the subject. It essentially means the director is captivating himself with the project, which translates naturally to 'is into' or 'is enthusiastic about'.
Can I use a preposition here, like translating 'into' literally?
No, you cannot translate English prepositions like 'into' or 'in' for hobbies and interests in Russian. Verbs like увлекаться (to be into) and интересоваться (to be interested in) connect directly to the bare Instrumental case. Adding a preposition here would be grammatically incorrect.
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