Breakdown of Профессионал постоянно совершенствует свои навыки.
свой
one's own
постоянно
constantly
навык
skill
профессионал
professional
совершенствовать
to improve
Questions & Answers about Профессионал постоянно совершенствует свои навыки.
Why does the verb take the form совершенствует instead of keeping the 'ова' from its infinitive?
The infinitive is совершенствовать (to improve or perfect). Verbs ending in -овать drop the -ова- and replace it with -у- in the present tense before adding the regular endings. Therefore, the stem becomes совершенству- plus the third-person singular ending -ет.
Is совершенствует imperfective, and what is its perfective counterpart?
Yes, совершенствовать is imperfective, which is required here because the action happens постоянно (constantly). Its perfective pair is усовершенствовать, which you would use to describe a one-time completed improvement.
Why must we use свои here instead of его for 'his'?
Because the skills belong to the subject of the sentence (Профессионал). Whenever the possessor and the subject are the same person, Russian requires the reflexive possessive pronoun свой. If you used его here, it would mean the professional is improving some other man's skills.
How does навык differ from other words for 'skill' or 'ability', such as умение?
Навык specifically refers to an automatic, practical skill or habit developed through physical repetition and practice, such as typing or operating machinery. Умение is a broader term for a learned ability or the theoretical know-how to accomplish a task.
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