Word
Импульс отражается оттуда, откуда он пришёл.
Meaning
The impulse bounces back from where it came.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Импульс отражается оттуда, откуда он пришёл.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
откуда
where from
прийти
to arrive (on foot, pf)
оттуда
from there
Questions & Answers about Импульс отражается оттуда, откуда он пришёл.
Why do we need both оттуда and откуда? In English we just say "from where".
In Russian, spatial relative clauses usually require a matched pair of adverbs. You need the demonstrative оттуда (from there) in the main clause to act as an anchor for the relative откуда (from where) in the dependent clause. Russian literally says "from there, from where".
Why is the verb пришёл used for an impulse? Doesn't that mean "came on foot"?
Literally, yes, but Russian frequently uses идти and its prefixed forms like прийти metaphorically. Signals, trains, letters, and impulses all "walk" in Russian when they travel or arrive at a destination.
Why does this sentence mix the imperfective отражается with the perfective пришёл?
Отражается is imperfective because it describes a general law of physics or a recurring action: the impulse generally "bounces back." However, пришёл is perfective because, for any given reflection to happen, the impulse must have already completely arrived.
Why does отражается have the reflexive -ся ending?
The base verb отражать is transitive, meaning "to reflect" an object (like a mirror reflecting an image). Adding the reflexive -ся ending makes it intransitive, indicating the impulse is moving itself. It translates well as "bounces back" or "is reflected" here.