Breakdown of Закрыв дверь, я попытался сконцентрироваться на задаче.
дверь
door
я
I
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
закрыть
to close
задача
task
попытаться
to try (make an attempt)
сконцентрироваться
to concentrate
Questions & Answers about Закрыв дверь, я попытался сконцентрироваться на задаче.
What is the key syntax rule for using a verbal adverb like закрыв in this sentence?
The core rule of Russian verbal adverbs (деепричастия) is that their implied subject must be the exact same as the subject of the main clause. Here, the main subject is я (I). Because я is the one who tried to concentrate (попытался), я must also be the one who closed the door. If someone else closed the door, you could not use this structure and would need a subordinate clause instead.
Why do we use the perfective verbal adverb закрыв rather than the imperfective закрывая?
The perfective form закрыв (having closed) shows that the action was completely finished before the main verb's action started. You shut the door, and then you made the attempt. If you used the imperfective закрывая (closing), it would mean you tried to concentrate simultaneously while swinging the door shut.
Why does сконцентрироваться take на задаче in the Prepositional case instead of the Accusative?
The verb сконцентрироваться (to concentrate) requires the preposition на followed by the Prepositional case to indicate the object of focus. Even though на often uses the Accusative for directional targets, focusing your mind is treated grammatically as a stationary location of your thoughts.
Why use попытался instead of попробовал for 'tried' here?
While both can translate to 'tried', попытаться (the perfective form of пытаться) is used when making an effort or attempt to achieve a goal or overcome a difficulty, like focusing on a hard task. Попробовать is generally used for experimenting or testing something out, like tasting a food or trying a new hobby to see if you like it.
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