Breakdown of Улитки часто ползают по этим мокрым камням.
камень
stone
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
часто
often
по
along, around
мокрый
wet
улитка
snail
ползать
to crawl around
Questions & Answers about Улитки часто ползают по этим мокрым камням.
Why does the sentence use ползают instead of ползут?
The verb ползать is the multidirectional version of 'to crawl'. We use it here because the word часто (often) shows this is a repeated, habitual action. Furthermore, pairing a multidirectional verb with по implies moving aimlessly around the surface of the stones, whereas ползти would mean crawling in one specific direction.
Why do we use the preposition по with the dative case here (по этим мокрым камням)?
With verbs of motion, the preposition по plus the dative case is used to mean moving along, around, or all over a surface. It pairs perfectly with multidirectional verbs to show that the snails are covering the general area of the stones rather than making a single trip across them.
I sometimes mix up plural endings. Why is it мокрым and not мокрыми?
The word мокрым has the dative plural ending, which is required here by the preposition по. You might be thinking of мокрыми, which is the instrumental plural ending. A helpful trick is to remember that the instrumental plural almost always ends in -ми.
What is the nominative singular of камням? Did a letter disappear?
The singular is камень (stone). The е is a fleeting vowel, meaning it drops out when you add most case endings. That is why the root shrinks and it becomes камням in the dative plural instead of каменям.
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