Breakdown of Все мифы рассказывают о том, что сделали боги.
что
what
о
about (о, об, обо)
рассказывать
to tell
сделать
to do (perfective) / to make (perfective)
тот
that
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone (весь, вся, всё, все)
бог
god
миф
myth
Questions & Answers about Все мифы рассказывают о том, что сделали боги.
Why do we need том here? Why can't we just say о что for 'about what'?
When connecting a main clause to a что clause, Russian prepositions like о (about) usually cannot attach directly to что. Instead, we add the pointer word то (that) to the main clause to hold the preposition. Literally, this translates to: All myths tell about THAT, which the gods did.
Why is то in the form том here?
The verb рассказывать (to tell) requires the preposition о plus the prepositional case to say what a story is about. Therefore, the pointer word то changes to its prepositional form, том. The following что is the accusative direct object of сделали in the second clause, so it keeps its basic dictionary form.
Why is the word order сделали боги (did gods) instead of боги сделали (gods did)?
In Russian relative clauses (like those starting with что or когда), it is very common to put the verb before the subject. You could perfectly well say что боги сделали, but что сделали боги flows more naturally in Russian and places a slight, dramatic emphasis on the gods at the end of the sentence.
Why use the perfective verb сделали here instead of the imperfective делали?
Using the perfective сделали focuses on completed actions or results: the specific, final deeds the gods accomplished. If you used the imperfective делали, it would mean what the gods used to do or what they were doing, focusing on a past ongoing routine rather than their legendary achievements.
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