Breakdown of Подлинность чьего антикварного кольца мы пытаемся выяснить?
мы
we
чей
whose (m, sister forms: чья, чьё)
выяснить
to find out
кольцо
ring
пытаться
to try, to attempt
антикварный
antique (collectible, antiquarian)
подлинность
authenticity
Questions & Answers about Подлинность чьего антикварного кольца мы пытаемся выяснить?
Why is the word for 'whose' spelled чьего here, and how do you pronounce it?
It is in the genitive case to match the neuter noun кольца (ring). The pronoun чей (whose) changes its endings similarly to adjectives. Remember that the -его ending in this pronoun is pronounced as if it has a 'v' instead of a 'g' (chye-VO).
Why are the words чьего антикварного кольца in the genitive case?
They are in the genitive case to express the English 'of'. The phrase translates literally as 'the authenticity OF whose antique ring'. The genitive case links the ring to the noun подлинность (authenticity).
The word Подлинность is at the start of the sentence. Does that mean it is the subject?
No, the subject is мы (we). Подлинность (authenticity) is the direct object of the verb выяснить (to find out). It is in the accusative case, which looks exactly the same as the nominative case for inanimate feminine nouns ending in a soft sign. It is placed at the start of the sentence to emphasize what we are investigating.
Why is пытаемся imperfective while выяснить is perfective?
We use the imperfective пытаемся because the effort is an ongoing process (we are currently in the middle of trying). We use the perfective infinitive выяснить because the ultimate goal of our effort is a successfully completed action: we want to establish the truth once and for all.
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