Questions & Answers about Пекарь напёк сладких пирогов.
Why is the object сладких пирогов in the genitive case rather than the accusative?
This is the core of the accumulation Aktionsart taught in this lesson. When we add the prefix на- to a verb to mean doing something in large quantities, the direct object takes the genitive case instead of the accusative. It acts like a partitive genitive, implying 'a whole lot of sweet pies'.
What exactly does the prefix на- add to the base verb печь (to bake) here?
It makes the verb perfective (напечь), but more importantly, it adds the specific meaning of accumulating a result. Instead of just completing the action of baking, the baker baked a noticeably large quantity of goods.
Why does the masculine past tense verb напёк lack the usual -л ending?
Could I just use the word много and say испёк много сладких пирогов instead?
Yes, that translates to almost exactly the same thing and is perfectly correct. However, using the на- prefix combined with the genitive case is a very idiomatic and expressive Russian way to convey baking a whole bunch of pies without needing the extra word много.
Learn Пекарь напёк сладких пирогов and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free