Breakdown of Этот факт противоречит нашей теории.
наш
our
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
факт
fact
теория
theory
противоречить
to contradict
Questions & Answers about Этот факт противоречит нашей теории.
Why is нашей теории in the Dative case instead of the Accusative?
In Russian, the verb противоречить (to contradict) requires its object to be in the Dative case without any prepositions. While in English you contradict a fact or theory directly, in Russian the logic is closer to "acting in opposition TO" something. Because of this verb government rule, the direct object from English becomes the Dative нашей теории.
Why does теории end in -ии here?
The base word (Nominative case) is теория. Feminine nouns that end in -ия (like теория, история, or лекция) follow a special declension rule. Instead of taking the standard feminine Dative ending -е, they take -и, resulting in the ending -ии.
What is the infinitive of противоречит and how is it formed?
The infinitive is противоречить. It is a Second Conjugation verb, which is why it takes the -ит ending for "it" (this fact). The word is built from the prefix противо- (against or counter) and a root related to речь (speech), so it literally means "to speak against."
How did we get the form нашей?
Since the verb forces the feminine noun теория into the Dative case, the possessive pronoun "our" must match it in gender, number, and case. The base feminine form is наша, and its Dative form is нашей.
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