Breakdown of Он любит ловко лазить по канатам.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
любить
to love, to like
по
along, around
лазить
to climb / to crawl (multidirectional)
ловко
nimbly
канат
thick rope
Questions & Answers about Он любит ловко лазить по канатам.
Why use the multidirectional лазить here instead of the unidirectional лезти?
лазить is the multidirectional verb of motion for climbing. Because the sentence describes a general hobby or repeated action, it implies going up and down on various occasions. If he were climbing a rope right now in one specific direction, you would use the unidirectional лезти.
Why does the verb take по канатам instead of just a direct object?
Verbs of climbing and crawling do not take a direct object in the Accusative case. Instead, they use the preposition по followed by the Dative case to describe the surface or path of the movement. So по канатам literally expresses moving along or up and down the ropes.
Besides climbing ropes or trees, what else can лазить mean?
The pair лезти and лазить is very versatile. Aside from climbing, it is used for crawling, getting into tight or awkward spaces (like reaching into a pocket or squeezing through a narrow opening), and even figuratively for intruding into other people's business.
Why must we use the imperfective лазить after любит? Could a perfective verb work?
No, you cannot use a perfective verb here. In Russian, verbs that express a general preference, like, or dislike (such as любить or ненавидеть) must always be followed by an imperfective infinitive, because they focus on the ongoing process or habit itself.
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