Breakdown of Вчера мы смотрели на все звёзды.
мы
we
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
смотреть
to watch / to look at / make sure (in a warning)
вчера
yesterday
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone (весь, вся, всё, все)
звезда
star
Questions & Answers about Вчера мы смотрели на все звёзды.
Why is the word for "all" spelled все here instead of всё?
Все is the plural form, used here because it goes with the plural noun звёзды (stars). You would use всё for singular neuter nouns, or to mean "everything" on its own. Notice the pronunciation difference too: все sounds like "vseh", while всё sounds like "vsyo".
Does the preposition на change the case of все and звёзды?
Yes! The phrase смотреть на (to look at) requires the Accusative case because it shows the direction of your gaze. However, because stars are inanimate (non-living) objects, their plural Accusative form (все звёзды) looks exactly identical to the Nominative dictionary form.
Why use the imperfective verb смотрели instead of the perfective посмотрели?
Using the imperfective смотрели emphasizes the ongoing process or duration of the action. It paints a picture of spending time stargazing. If you used посмотрели, it would imply a quick, completed action, like taking a single look at the stars and then moving on to something else.
How do I know where the stress is in звёзды?
The letter ё is always stressed in Russian! The singular form is звезда, but when it becomes plural, the stress shifts to the first syllable, changing the е to a ё: звёзды.
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