Breakdown of Ветер срывает листья с этого дерева.
дерево
tree
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
лист
leaf
ветер
wind
с
off / down from (a surface)
срывать
to pick / to tear off
Questions & Answers about Ветер срывает листья с этого дерева.
Why do we use the preposition с here instead of из for "from"?
In Russian, с is the exact opposite of на (on or onto). Because leaves grow on the outside surface of a tree (на дереве), they are taken off of it using с (с дерева). You only use из if something is coming out of the inside of a place, which is the opposite of в.
Does the с- at the beginning of срывает have anything to do with the preposition с?
Yes, they are closely related! The prefix с- attached to a verb often shows downward movement or removal from a surface. When added to the base verb рвать (to tear), it creates срывать (to tear off), which pairs naturally with the preposition с later in the sentence.
Why is the word for leaves листья?
The noun лист (leaf) has an irregular plural. Instead of just adding a standard vowel ending like most masculine nouns, it changes its stem and adds a soft sign: листья is used for both the nominative and accusative plural forms.
What case is этого дерева in, and why?
It is in the genitive case. The preposition с meaning "off of" or "from" always forces the following noun phrase into the genitive case. Here, the neuter noun дерево becomes дерева, and its matching pointer word это becomes этого.
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