Question 1

What does the prefix пере- add to the verb переедает?

Accepted Answer

In this context, the prefix пере- means excess or doing something too much. The base verb is related to есть (to eat), so переедать means to overeat. You will see this same prefix used for excessive action in many other verbs, such as переплачивать (to overpay) or перерабатывать (to overwork).

Question 2

Since the root is есть, why does the verb end in -едает?

Accepted Answer

To make a prefixed verb imperfective, Russian often alters the verb stem. The perfective verb for a single completed action of overeating is переесть. To form the imperfective for an ongoing or repeated action, the base changes to -едать, giving us переедать. Because the sentence describes a recurring habit, it uses the imperfective form переедает.

Question 3

Could we just use потому что instead of из-за того что?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but из-за того что is slightly more specific. It translates to 'due to the fact that' and usually points to a direct, negative cause. Remember that the preposition из-за (because of) must be followed by a noun or pronoun in the Genitive case. To attach a whole clause like он переедает, we have to insert того что as a grammatical bridge.

Question 4

Why doesn't the sentence say его живот болит?

Accepted Answer

While a Russian speaker would understand его живот, the natural and standard way to express experiencing physical pain is using the possession construction (у + Genitive). У него болит живот literally translates to 'At him, the stomach aches.' The grammatical subject of the clause is живот, which is why the verb takes the third-person singular form болит.

Из-за того что он переедает, у него болит живот.

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