Breakdown of Он посмотрел на меня сквозь тёмные очки.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
я
I
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
очки
glasses
посмотреть
to watch (perfective) / to look at (perfective)
тёмный
dark (adjective)
сквозь
through (passing through something dense)
Questions & Answers about Он посмотрел на меня сквозь тёмные очки.
Why do we use сквозь here instead of через, which also means 'through'?
Сквозь is used specifically when passing through a barrier, a dense medium, or something that offers resistance (like tinted glass, thick fog, or a crowd). Через is more general and often used for crossing a space (like a street or a doorway). Since he is looking through the physical material of the lenses, сквозь is the perfect choice.
What case is тёмные очки in, and why does it look like the dictionary form?
The preposition сквозь requires the Accusative case. However, because очки (glasses) is an inanimate object, its plural Accusative form is identical to its Nominative (dictionary) form. That is why тёмные очки does not change its ending here.
Why is it на меня for 'at me'? Doesn't на usually mean 'on'?
While на frequently means 'on', Russian verbs of looking, such as смотреть and its completed form посмотреть, strictly pair with на plus the Accusative case to mean 'to look at' something or someone. The preposition here simply shows the target of his gaze.
Is очки always plural in Russian, just like in English?
Yes! Очки is a plural-only noun. Even when referring to just one pair of glasses, you must always use plural adjectives like тёмные and plural verb endings with it.
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