Breakdown of Он месяцами мучился от сильной боли.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
месяц
month
сильный
strong
от
from
боль
pain
мучиться
to agonize
Questions & Answers about Он месяцами мучился от сильной боли.
Why is месяцами in the instrumental case here?
The bare instrumental plural of time nouns (like месяцами, годами, часами) is used to emphasize an extended, continuous duration, often with a feeling of frustration or tediousness. It translates best as "for months on end" rather than just stating a neutral timeframe.
Could I just say несколько месяцев instead of месяцами?
You could, but it changes the tone. Несколько месяцев is a neutral statement of fact ("for several months"). Месяцами adds emotional weight, emphasizing how excessively long and agonizing the period felt.
Why is "from severe pain" translated as от сильной боли instead of using the preposition из-за?
The preposition от (+ Genitive) is the standard choice for expressing the direct physical or emotional cause of an involuntary state or reaction. When someone suffers, cries, or shakes from pain, illness, or joy, you use от. Из-за is typically used for external, circumstantial reasons (like being late because of traffic).
I see боли ends in -и. What is the gender and dictionary form of this word?
The dictionary form is боль (pain). It is a feminine noun ending in a soft sign (a 3rd-declension noun like ночь or вещь). In the genitive case, which is required by the preposition от, these feminine nouns take the -и ending. This is also why the adjective is in the feminine genitive form: сильной.
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