Breakdown of Эти проблемы ухудшаются и влияют друг на друга.
и
and
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
проблема
problem
влиять
to influence
друг друга
each other
ухудшаться
to worsen / deteriorate
Questions & Answers about Эти проблемы ухудшаются и влияют друг на друга.
Since the current lesson covers "всё" + comparative, how could we rewrite this sentence to use that grammar instead of the verb "ухудшаются"?
You could use the verb становиться (to become) and say Эти проблемы становятся всё хуже (These problems are getting worse and worse). The verb ухудшаться used here is just a slightly more formal, single-word way to express that same continuous decline.
Why is the preposition "на" stuck right in the middle of "друг друга"?
In Russian, whenever a preposition is used with the reciprocal pronoun друг друга (each other), the preposition must always be squeezed between the two words. Because the verb влиять (to affect) requires на to introduce its target, we get друг на друга instead of putting the preposition at the front.
Why does "ухудшаются" have the reflexive "-ся" ending here?
The non-reflexive verb ухудшать means to make something else worse (a transitive action). Since the problems aren't actively ruining something else in this specific clause, but rather are "getting worse" on their own, we need the reflexive -ся particle to show that the state change is happening to the subject itself.
What case is the second half of "друг на друга" in, and why?
It is in the accusative case. The verb влиять dictates the case for the object it affects by using the preposition на followed by the accusative case. Because the word друг behaves grammatically like an animate noun, its accusative form matches its genitive form, resulting in друга.
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