Breakdown of Мы сосредоточились на том, что адаптация — долгий процесс.
мы
we
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
что
that (conjunction)
долгий
long (of time)
тот
that
процесс
process
адаптация
adaptation
сосредоточиться
to focus
Questions & Answers about Мы сосредоточились на том, что адаптация — долгий процесс.
Why do we need на том, что instead of just translating 'focused on that' as сосредоточились на что?
In Russian, you cannot attach a что clause directly to a preposition like на. The verb сосредоточиться (to focus) requires на + Prepositional case. To bridge this, we use the pointer word то to absorb the preposition and case. So we get на + Prepositional of то (том), followed by что and the rest of the clause. It acts just like 'focused on the fact that' in English.
Why does сосредоточились end with the reflexive suffix -сь?
Without the suffix, сосредоточить means to focus something else (for example, to focus your attention or your efforts). Adding the reflexive -ся (which becomes -сь after a vowel) makes it an action you do to yourself. So мы сосредоточились means 'we focused (ourselves)'.
Why is there a dash between адаптация and долгий процесс?
Russian typically leaves out the present tense of the verb 'to be' (is/am/are). When a sentence connects a subject (адаптация) directly to a noun phrase describing what it is (процесс), and both are in the Nominative case, a dash is used in writing to represent the missing 'is'.
Could I use длинный instead of долгий for a 'long' process?
No, it wouldn't sound natural here. Длинный is generally used for physical length, like a long street or a long dress. Долгий is used for things that take a long time, like a process, a flight, or a conversation.
Learn Мы сосредоточились на том, что адаптация — долгий процесс and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free