Breakdown of Эта глазурь отлично покрывает всю керамику.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
отлично
excellently
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone
керамика
the ceramics
покрывать
to coat
глазурь
the glaze (f)
Questions & Answers about Эта глазурь отлично покрывает всю керамику.
This lesson is about adverbs like по-новому. Why is the adverb here отлично rather than по-отличному?
Qualitative adjectives that describe a straightforward quality (like good, bad, or excellent) form regular adverbs ending in -о, such as отлично. The по- ... -ому pattern is instead used to mean 'in the style or manner of' something, like по-летнему (in a summery way) or по-старому (in the old way). The word по-отличному is not standard Russian.
Why is керамика singular here when the English translation is plural ('ceramics')?
In Russian, керамика is a collective noun, functioning much like the English word 'pottery'. It refers to ceramic items as an uncountable whole class. Because it is collective, it is used in the singular, which is why we see the feminine singular accusative всю керамику.
Why is the imperfective verb покрывает used instead of a perfective form?
The sentence describes a permanent characteristic or general property of this glaze: it is fundamentally good at coating pottery. When stating general facts or properties rather than focusing on a single, completed action, Russian requires the imperfective aspect.
Is the verb покрывать related to the basic verb крыть (to cover)?
Yes! Крыть is the base imperfective verb. Adding the prefix по- forms the perfective покрыть (to cover completely or to coat). Because this sentence needs an imperfective verb to state a general fact, it uses the derived imperfective form покрывать.
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