Breakdown of Скалолаз очень ловко лазит по стенам.
очень
very
стена
wall
по
along, around
лазить
to climb / to crawl (multidirectional)
Questions & Answers about Скалолаз очень ловко лазит по стенам.
Why do we use the multidirectional verb лазит here instead of the unidirectional лезет?
We use лазит because it describes a general ability or habitual action (what the rock climber does in general). Also, climbing a wall typically involves multidirectional movement—going up, down, and across, rather than a single trip in one direction.
I've seen the word for 'climbs' written as лазает. Are лазит and лазает the same?
Yes, they are exactly the same! The verb лазить (and its alternative infinitive лазать) has two accepted conjugation patterns in modern Russian. Он лазает is considered strictly standard, while он лазит is slightly more colloquial but extremely common in everyday speech.
Does the noun скалолаз (rock climber) contain the same root as the verb?
It does! It is a compound noun combining скала (rock or cliff) and the root -лаз- from the verb лазить / лезти. In Russian, many professions or doers of an action are formed this way.
Why is the phrase 'on walls' translated as по стенам using the dative case?
With verbs of motion, the preposition по plus the dative case indicates movement along, around, or over a surface. Since the climber is moving all over the surface of the walls, по стенам is the natural way to express this in Russian.