Breakdown of При всей осторожности он не смог выдуть раскалённое стекло.
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone (весь, вся, всё, все)
смочь
to manage to, to be able to (perfective)
стекло
glass (material)
при
in the presence of, under, at
осторожность
caution
выдуть
to blow (out)
раскалённый
red-hot
Questions & Answers about При всей осторожности он не смог выдуть раскалённое стекло.
How does при всей translate to 'despite' here, and what case is used?
The preposition при followed by the prepositional case of весь (in this feminine form, всей) plus an abstract noun is an advanced way to express concession. It literally translates closer to 'With all caution,' but in natural English, it means 'Despite all the caution.' Here, осторожности is the prepositional case of the feminine noun осторожность.
Why use the perfective не смог rather than the imperfective не мог?
Using the perfective не смог shows that he made a specific, isolated attempt to blow the glass and failed to achieve the result. If the sentence used the imperfective не мог, it would imply a general state of inability, meaning he generally didn't know how to blow glass or lacked the physical capacity overall.
What does the prefix вы- add to the base verb дуть (to blow)?
The prefix вы- generally means 'out' or 'outward.' Here, it turns the imperfective process of blowing (дуть) into the perfective, completed action of blowing a shape out of the glass (выдуть). It perfectly captures the process of expanding the glass into a bubble.
Where does the word раскалённое (red-hot) come from?
It is technically a past passive participle formed from the perfective verb раскалить (to heat to a glow), but it functions here as a standard adjective. It is in the neuter accusative case to agree with стекло (glass), serving as the direct object of выдуть.
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