Breakdown of Он всегда достаёт ключи из-под камня.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
камень
stone
ключ
key
всегда
always
Questions & Answers about Он всегда достаёт ключи из-под камня.
Why is the preposition из-под used here, and how is it formed?
Из-под means "from under" or "out from under". It is a compound preposition made by combining из (out of) and под (under). You use it when retrieving something from a position where it was originally covered by or underneath something else.
What case follows из-под, and why does камень become камня?
Just like the standard preposition из, the compound из-под requires the Genitive case. The dictionary form for stone is камень. When put into the Genitive case, the -е- drops out because it is a "fleeting vowel", making it камня instead of "каменя".
Why does the Russian sentence use достаёт instead of берёт for "takes"?
While брать means "to take" in a general sense, the verb доставать (which conjugates as достаёт) specifically means "to retrieve", "to fetch", or "to take out". It implies a bit of effort, like pulling something out of a pocket, a bag, or a hiding spot under a stone.
Why is the verb достаёт in the imperfective aspect here?