Breakdown of Кот играет с цветными нитками.
кот
cat
играть
to play
с
with (also со)
цветной
colored
нитка
the thread
Questions & Answers about Кот играет с цветными нитками.
Why does нитками end in -ами?
Нитками is the instrumental plural form of the feminine noun нитка (thread). In the plural, most nouns (whether masculine, feminine, or neuter) take the ending -ами in the instrumental case. We need the instrumental case here because it follows the preposition с (with).
Why is the adjective ending -ыми in цветными?
Adjectives always have to match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Since нитками is in the instrumental plural, its adjective must be too. The standard instrumental plural ending for adjectives is -ыми. Therefore, the dictionary form цветной (colored) becomes цветными.
If the instrumental case already translates to 'with' by itself, why do we need the preposition с?
This is a common A2 trap! A noun in the instrumental case without a preposition means 'by means of' (using something as a tool). If we left out с, it would sound like the cat is using the threads as a tool to accomplish the act of playing. We use с + instrumental to mean 'together with' or 'interacting with'. The phrase играть с is the standard way to say playing with a toy, an object, or a friend.
Is кот a specific type of cat?
Yes, кот refers specifically to a male cat. If you were talking about a female cat, or just a general cat where you don't know the gender, you would usually use the word кошка.
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