Breakdown of Большой грузовик проезжает мимо дома.
дом
house
большой
big
мимо
past (moving by)
грузовик
the truck
Questions & Answers about Большой грузовик проезжает мимо дома.
Why does дом change to дома in this sentence?
Because of the preposition мимо, which means "past" or "by". In Russian, мимо always requires the noun following it to be in the Genitive case. Since дом (house) is a masculine noun ending in a consonant, it takes the ending -а in the Genitive.
Could I just say едет мимо дома instead of using the prefixed verb проезжает?
Yes, you can! Both mean "is driving past the house". However, adding the prefix про- to a verb of motion specifically emphasizes the idea of moving past or through a space. Russian speakers frequently pair the prefix про- with the preposition мимо to double down on this meaning.
Is проезжает perfective or imperfective?
It is imperfective, which fits because the action is an ongoing process happening right now ("is driving"). The perfective pair is проехать. If you used its perfective form (проедет мимо дома), the sentence would change to the future tense: "A big truck will drive past the house."
Does the word грузовик share a root with other common words?
Yes, it is built on the noun груз, which means "cargo", "load", or "weight" (you might also recognize it in the verb грузить - to load). By adding the suffix -овик, it literally translates to a "cargo vehicle"—a truck!