Question 1

Why is одному инструменту in the Dative case here?

Accepted Answer

Because of the preposition подобно (meaning "like" or "similarly to"). It always requires the noun or pronoun that follows it to be in the Dative case. Here, the phrase один инструмент transforms into the Dative одному инструменту.

Question 2

Could I just use как instead of подобно in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could say звучит как один инструмент. The preposition подобно is a bit more formal and literary than the everyday word как. The important grammatical difference is that как would be followed by the Nominative case here (как один инструмент), whereas подобно strictly requires the Dative.

Question 3

Could I use целый instead of весь to mean "the whole orchestra"?

Accepted Answer

You could, but the nuance changes slightly. Весь оркестр emphasizes that every single member of the group is acting together, which perfectly fits the idea of sounding like a single instrument. Целый оркестр often emphasizes the sheer size or unbroken completeness of something, translating closer to "an entire orchestra."

Question 4

Does the verb звучать only refer to literal sounds like music?

Accepted Answer

While it describes literal acoustics here, звучать is also used figuratively, exactly like "to sound" in English. For example, you can say это звучит странно (that sounds weird) when responding to an idea or a story someone just told you.

Весь оркестр звучит подобно одному инструменту?

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