Breakdown of Наш союзник оказался предателем, но притворился равнодушным.
наш
our (наш, наша, наше)
но
but
оказаться
to turn out to be (perfective)
союзник
ally
предатель
traitor
притвориться
to pretend (pf.)
равнодушный
indifferent
Questions & Answers about Наш союзник оказался предателем, но притворился равнодушным.
Why is предателем in the instrumental case instead of the nominative предатель?
The verb оказаться (to turn out to be) requires its complement to be in the instrumental case. This is a core rule in Russian for verbs showing a state, manifestation, or assumed role, where English often simply uses the verb 'to be'.
Does притворился also trigger the instrumental case for равнодушным?
Yes! Just like оказаться, the verb притвориться (to pretend to be) takes the instrumental case to show an assumed state. Here, it is applied to an adjective, changing the nominative равнодушный to the instrumental равнодушным.
What is the literal meaning of равнодушным?
The adjective равнодушный (indifferent) is made of two roots: равн- (equal, even) and душ- (soul). So, someone who is равнодушный literally has an 'even soul' and remains emotionally unmoved.
Why are both verbs (оказался, притворился) in the perfective aspect here?
Why is there no pronoun for 'he' before притворился?
In Russian, subject pronouns are heavily dropped in the second clause of a compound sentence when the subject (союзник) remains exactly the same. Adding он before притворился wouldn't be grammatically wrong, but omitting it sounds much more natural and cohesive.
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