Breakdown of Ураган заканчивается, и на улице тихо.
и
and
улица
street
тихо
quietly
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
заканчиваться
to end (imperfective)
ураган
the hurricane
Questions & Answers about Ураган заканчивается, и на улице тихо.
Why do we use the reflexive verb заканчивается instead of заканчивает?
Notice that ураган is the subject, in the nominative case. Because the hurricane is ending on its own (it is not ending something else), we must use the intransitive reflexive verb заканчивается. If we used заканчивает without the -ся ending, it would be a transitive verb and we would need a direct object to show what the hurricane is bringing to an end.
Why is the imperfective aspect used here?
The verb заканчивается is in the imperfective aspect because it describes an action in progress. The hurricane is currently in the process of ending, but isn't completely over yet. If the storm were completely over, we would use the perfective past tense: ураган закончился (the hurricane has ended).
Why is тихо used instead of an adjective like тихий?
Тихо is an adverb functioning as a state word. In Russian, when describing the general environment, weather, or atmosphere, we use impersonal constructions (sentences without a specific subject like 'it' or 'the weather') with adverbs. Because there is no noun in the second clause for an adjective to agree with, we use the adverb тихо.
Does на улице literally mean 'on the street'?
Yes, literally it translates to 'on the street' (using the prepositional case to show location). However, in Russian, на улице is the standard, everyday phrase used to mean 'outside' or 'outdoors', especially when talking about the weather.
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