Breakdown of Растение было слабое и начало погибать после заморозков.
и
and
быть
to be
после
after
слабый
weak
начать
to begin (perfective)
растение
the plant
заморозки
first frosts
погибать
to perish (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Растение было слабое и начало погибать после заморозков.
Why does the sentence use the nominative adjective слабое instead of the instrumental слабым after было?
Both are grammatically correct, but they carry slightly different nuances. The nominative слабое implies that being weak was an inherent, general characteristic of this particular plant. Using the instrumental слабым would emphasize that it was a temporary state at that specific point in time.
Why is погибать imperfective here? Shouldn't a plant dying be a completed result?
The verb погибать must be imperfective here because it follows начало (started). In Russian, "phase verbs"—verbs indicating the start, continuation, or end of an action—must always be followed by an imperfective infinitive, because they focus on the ongoing process of the action.
Why use погибать instead of the standard verb for dying, умирать?
Умирать is typically used for living things dying from natural causes or old age. Погибать means to perish or be destroyed by harsh external conditions, accidents, or violence. It is the natural choice for plants or crops killed by severe weather, since the frost is an external, destructive force.
Why is заморозков plural when the English translation says "the frost"?
Заморозков is the genitive plural of заморозок (a sudden freeze or frost). While you can use the singular to talk about a single frosty night, Russian heavily favors the plural (заморозки) to describe a general spell of freezing weather, much like saying "the cold" or "the rains" in English.
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