Breakdown of На лице появляются морщины, но глаза выражают мудрость.
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
глаз
eye
но
but
лицо
the face
Questions & Answers about На лице появляются морщины, но глаза выражают мудрость.
Why use появляются for 'appear' instead of кажутся?
Появляться means 'to appear' in the physical sense of showing up, coming into view, or emerging (like wrinkles on a face). Казаться means 'to appear' in the sense of 'to seem' or 'to give the impression of'.
Why does the sentence start with На лице (On the face) instead of the subject морщины (wrinkles)?
In Russian, the beginning of a sentence usually sets the scene with known information, while the end introduces the new, important information. Starting with На лице emphasizes the action happening to the face. If you said Морщины появляются на лице, it would sound like you are answering 'Where do wrinkles appear?' rather than describing the progression of aging.
This lesson focuses on по мере того как. How would I combine these two clauses using that structure?
You could say: По мере того как на лице появляются морщины, глаза выражают мудрость. (As wrinkles appear on the face, the eyes express wisdom). Notice that both verbs stay in the imperfective aspect, which is required when using по мере того как to show two simultaneous, parallel processes.
Мудрость is the direct object here. Why didn't its ending change for the accusative case?
Мудрость (wisdom) is a feminine noun ending in a soft sign (-ь), which makes it a 3rd declension noun. For all 3rd declension nouns, the accusative case form is exactly the same as the nominative case form.