Breakdown of Доктор смотрит глаза.
смотреть
to watch / to look at / make sure (in a warning)
глаз
eye
доктор
doctor
Questions & Answers about Доктор смотрит глаза.
Why is there no preposition here? Don't we normally say смотрит на for "looks at"?
Normally, yes! If you say доктор смотрит на глаза, it means the doctor is simply looking at the eyes (perhaps admiring their color or shape). But when used as a direct action without the preposition на, смотреть means "to medically examine" or "to check."
Is смотреть the official medical word for "examine"?
It is the most common word used in everyday conversation. The formal medical term is осматривать, but patients and doctors frequently just use смотреть for checking a body part or a condition.
Why doesn't the ending of глаза change if it is the direct object?
It actually is in the accusative case here, which is used for direct objects. It looks identical to the basic plural dictionary form because глаз (eye) is a masculine noun. For inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative plural is exactly the same as the nominative plural.
Are body parts considered inanimate objects in Russian grammar?
Yes! Even though they belong to a living person, only complete people and animals are grammatically "animate." All individual body parts are treated as inanimate objects. This is why глаза doesn't take the animate accusative ending (which would look like the genitive case).
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