Breakdown of Римляне не знали эту технологию.
не
not
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
знать
to know
технология
the technology
римлянин
Roman
Questions & Answers about Римляне не знали эту технологию.
Why does "Римляне" end in -яне instead of a standard plural ending?
The singular noun for a "Roman" is римлянин, which uses the suffix -янин (common for nationalities and inhabitants). To form the plural nominative, these nouns drop the -ин part and add -е, making it римляне.
Why do we see эту технологию instead of эта технология?
The phrase is the direct object of the verb знали (knew), so it must be in the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -ия like технология, the accusative ending is -ию. The matching word for "this" (эта) changes to эту.
Is the verb знали imperfective or perfective here?
It is the imperfective past tense of знать (to know). Knowing is a continuous state or fact rather than a completed action with a distinct result, so it naturally uses the imperfective aspect.
Are words for people from specific places, like Римляне, always capitalized in Russian?
No, unlike in English, nationalities and classes of people are not capitalized in Russian. Римляне is only capitalized here because it starts the sentence; in the middle of a sentence, it would just be римляне.
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