Breakdown of По-вашему, он уверен в этом поступке?
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
в
in / to (direction)
уверенный
sure
по-вашему
in your opinion / your way
поступок
action
Questions & Answers about По-вашему, он уверен в этом поступке?
Why do we say в этом поступке if the English translation is "sure about this action"?
The short adjective уверен (sure or confident) always pairs with the preposition в followed by the Prepositional case. Even though we say "sure about" in English, in Russian you are literally "sure in" something. This is a set grammatical rule for this specific adjective.
Where did the "о" from the dictionary form поступок go in the word поступке?
The noun поступок (a deed or action) has what is called a fleeting vowel. When a grammatical case ending is added to the word, the final о drops out so it is easier to pronounce. Therefore, in the Prepositional case, it becomes поступке, never поступоке.
Why does по-вашему have a hyphen?
It is an adverb meaning "in your opinion" or "in your way." In Russian, adverbs formed by combining the prefix по- with the Dative case form of a possessive pronoun (like вашему, моему, or нашему) are always written with a hyphen.
Could I use the long-form adjective уверенный here instead of the short-form уверен?
It would not sound natural. When expressing a person's state of mind or feeling toward a specific thing or situation, Russian uses the short form уверен. The long form уверенный is mostly reserved for describing a permanent character trait, like уверенный человек (a confident person).
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