Breakdown of Ведьма всегда знает то, что скрывают злые духи.
что
what
знать
to know
всегда
always
тот
that
злой
angry, mean
скрывать
to hide (conceal something)
ведьма
witch
дух
spirit
Questions & Answers about Ведьма всегда знает то, что скрывают злые духи.
Why do we use то, что here instead of just что?
In Russian, when a subordinate clause acts as a noun (like the thing the spirits hide), it usually needs a pointing word in the main clause. то (that) points to the thing the witch knows, and что (which) introduces the description of it. In English, we just say 'what', but in Russian, you often literally say 'that, which'.
What case are то and что in this sentence?
They are both in the accusative case here, but for different reasons! то is the direct object of знает (she knows that). что is the direct object of скрывают (the spirits hide which). Because they are neuter inanimate pronouns, their accusative forms look exactly like their nominative forms.
Why does the verb скрывают come before the subject злые духи?
In Russian relative clauses starting with words like что or который, it is very common to put the verb before the subject. This keeps the action closer to the relative pronoun and makes the sentence flow more naturally, although saying что злые духи скрывают is also grammatically correct.
Does духи mean 'spirits' or 'perfume' here?
It depends on the spoken stress! Here it is дУхи (nominative plural of дух, meaning 'spirits'). If the stress were on the last syllable (духИ), it would mean 'perfume'. The adjective злые (evil) gives you a big clue about which one makes sense here!
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