Breakdown of Девочка покачивает ногой и так же быстро постукивает пальцами, как её мама.
и
and
мама
mom
девочка
girl
быстро
fast, quickly
так
so, like this
нога
leg, foot
палец
finger, toe
же
particle (same / exactly) / but / you know (emphasis)
как
as (in comparisons)
её
her (possessive)
покачивать
to swing occasionally
постукивать
to tap occasionally
Questions & Answers about Девочка покачивает ногой и так же быстро постукивает пальцами, как её мама.
How do the verbs покачивает and постукивает demonstrate the grammar for this lesson?
Both verbs use the circumfix по- ... -ива- (a prefix and suffix added at the same time) to show that an action is light or weak, and happens repeatedly over time. Compared to the base verbs качать (to swing or rock) and стучать (to knock or tap), покачивать means to swing slightly and repeatedly, while постукивать means to tap lightly from time to time.
Why are the body parts ногой (leg) and пальцами (fingers) in the Instrumental case here, rather than the Accusative?
In Russian, when you move or gesture with a part of your own body, that body part is treated as the instrument of the action. You are grammatically swinging with the leg and tapping with the fingers. If you used the Accusative case here, it would sound like she picked up a disconnected leg and was swinging it around!
Why is так же written as two separate words here, instead of one word (также)?
When it translates to 'also' or 'too', it is written as one word (также). However, in this sentence it is part of the comparative structure так же ... как (just as ... as). The particle же acts as a separate intensifier for так (so / in that way). Whenever you have a direct comparison setting up a как later in the sentence, так же must be written as two words.
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