Word
Паук ползёт на мою кровать!
Meaning
The spider is crawling onto my bed!
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Паук ползёт на мою кровать!
кровать
bed
мой
my / mine
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
паук
spider (m)
Questions & Answers about Паук ползёт на мою кровать!
Why use ползёт instead of ползает in this sentence?
Ползёт comes from the unidirectional verb ползти. Because the spider is currently moving in one specific direction (straight toward the bed), we use this form. If it were just crawling aimlessly around the room, we would use the multidirectional verb ползать (forming ползает).
Why do we use the Accusative case (на мою кровать) instead of the Prepositional case (на моей кровати)?
The preposition на takes the Accusative case when it indicates the destination of a motion (crawling onto the bed). If the spider were already on the bed and merely crawling around on top of it, you would use the Prepositional case (на моей кровати).
How does the infinitive ползти conjugate in the present tense?
It has an ending-stressed consonant stem: я ползу, ты ползёшь, он ползёт, мы ползём, вы ползёте, они ползут.
Can ползти only be used for literal crawling insects or babies?
No, you will often see ползти used metaphorically to describe anything moving frustratingly slowly. You can use it for heavy traffic, a slow vehicle, or even time dragging on.