Questions & Answers about Тучи закрыли небо.
I thought закрыть means "to close". Why is it translated as "covered" here?
While закрыть is most commonly used for "to close" (like a door or window), it also means "to cover" or "to block from view." In Russian, storm clouds literally "close off" the sky.
What is the difference between тучи and облака?
Both mean "clouds," but облака refers to regular, often white clouds. Тучи specifically refers to dark, heavy, threatening clouds like storm clouds or rain clouds.
Since the clouds covered the sky, isn't небо the direct object? Why hasn't its ending changed?
Небо is the direct object here, so it is in the Accusative case. However, because небо is a neuter inanimate noun, its Accusative form is exactly the same as its Nominative (dictionary) form. You will only see it change in cases like the Prepositional (e.g., на небе).
Could I use the imperfective verb закрывали here instead of the perfective закрыли?
You could, but it would change the meaning. Using the perfective закрыли emphasizes the result: the action is complete, and the sky is now fully covered. Закрывали would mean the clouds were in the process of covering the sky, or that they covered it repeatedly over time.
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