Breakdown of Старые провода быстро рвутся во время сильного ветра.
старый
old
быстро
fast, quickly
сильный
strong
ветер
wind
во время
during
провод
wire / send-off
рваться
to tear / to break (intransitive)
Questions & Answers about Старые провода быстро рвутся во время сильного ветра.
Why does провод take the plural form провода here instead of проводы?
This is a classic example of a noun with dual plural forms carrying distinct meanings. When the word means an electrical wire or cable, its plural is провода (with a stressed -а ending). However, the plural form проводы (with a regular -ы ending) means a farewell or seeing-off, such as a going-away party.
Why use рвутся (tear) instead of ломаются (break) for wires?
In Russian, the choice of verb depends on the physical properties of the object. Ломаться is used for rigid things that fracture or snap, like branches, bones, or hard plastic. Рваться is used for flexible, continuous materials that snap or tear under tension, such as string, rope, fabric, paper, and wires (провода).
What is the function of the reflexive -ся ending in рвутся?
It makes the verb intransitive to show an action happening to the subject itself. While рвать means to tear something (a transitive action requiring a direct object), adding -ся creates рваться, which means to tear or snap on its own. Here it shows the wires are snapping under the force of the wind, rather than someone actively tearing them.
Why is the phrase сильного ветра in the genitive case?
It follows the compound preposition во время (during). This preposition always requires the noun phrase that comes immediately after it to be in the genitive case.
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