Breakdown of Малыши проспали на чемоданах всё утро.
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
малыш
baby
чемодан
suitcase
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone (весь, вся, всё, все)
утро
morning
проспать
to sleep (for a specified time)
Questions & Answers about Малыши проспали на чемоданах всё утро.
Why use the perfective проспали instead of the imperfective спали, since "all morning" describes an ongoing action?
This is the exact duration rule you are currently learning! By adding the prefix про- to the imperfective спать, we get a perfective verb that means to spend a specific, limited amount of time doing something. Because the exact time span всё утро is explicitly stated and the time block is completed, Russian uses this perfective form to show the action filled that entire duration.
Doesn't the verb проспать usually mean "to oversleep"? How do we know it means "slept for a duration" here?
It can mean both, so you have to rely on context. When проспать takes a regular direct object like work or a meeting (проспать работу), it means to oversleep or to miss something by sleeping. But when it is paired with a measurement of time in the Accusative case, like всё утро, it triggers the specific meaning of performing the action for that exact span of time.
What case is всё утро in, and why does it look like the dictionary form?
It is in the Accusative case of time, which is used without a preposition to show exactly how long an action lasted. It looks exactly like the dictionary form (the Nominative case) because утро is an inanimate neuter noun. Neuter nouns, along with modifiers like всё, share the same form for both Nominative and Accusative.
Why is the Prepositional case used in на чемоданах rather than the Accusative?
Because the toddlers are in a stationary position resting on top of the suitcases. You use the preposition на with the Prepositional case to indicate a fixed location (answering "where?"). You would only use the Accusative case (на чемоданы) if there was an action of moving, jumping, or falling onto the suitcases.
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