Log inSign up

Никто не видел, как произошло ДТП.

Никто не видел, как произошло ДТП.
Nobody saw how the traffic accident happened.
From Lesson 410:Gender of acronyms and initialisms·Russian

Questions & Answers about Никто не видел, как произошло ДТП.

Why is the verb произошло in the neuter form here?
It agrees with the acronym ДТП, which stands for дорожно-транспортное происшествие (road traffic accident). Because the core noun of the spelled-out phrase, происшествие (accident), is neuter, the acronym itself takes on the neuter gender.
If ДТП is the subject here, would its form change if it were used in a different grammatical case?
No. Like many acronyms in Russian, ДТП is indeclinable. It stays exactly as ДТП whether it is the subject, the direct object, or used with a preposition.
Why is the verb видел masculine singular, even if the 'nobody' being referred to could include women?
The pronoun никто (nobody) always grammatically acts as a masculine singular noun. Verbs agreeing with it in the past tense will take the masculine singular form, regardless of the actual gender of the people involved. Notice also the required double negative: никто не.
Why does the verb произошло come before its subject ДТП in the second clause?
Russian often places the subject at the end of a clause when it represents the new or most important information. Placing ДТП at the end emphasizes the accident itself as the key piece of information being introduced.

Learn Никто не видел, как произошло ДТП and more in Russian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Russian →