Breakdown of Три восьмых участка, разделённого вчера, принадлежат фермеру.
три
three
вчера
yesterday
восьмой
eighth
фермер
farmer
участок
plot
принадлежать
to belong
разделить
to divide
Questions & Answers about Три восьмых участка, разделённого вчера, принадлежат фермеру.
Why does the denominator восьмых take the genitive plural form?
Mathematical fractions imply the feminine word часть (part). After the numbers 2, 3, and 4, adjectives and ordinals modifying a feminine noun can be either nominative or genitive plural. However, for mathematical fractions, the rule is strict: you must always use the genitive plural, hence восьмых.
Does the number три cause участка to be in the genitive singular?
No, it is actually the fraction as a whole that causes it, translating to the English concept of 'of'. Участка is in the genitive singular because it is a fraction of one single plot. If the farmer owned three eighths of multiple plots, we would use the genitive plural участков.
Why doesn't the participle разделённого agree with the plural fraction три восьмых?
Because the participle describes the plot, not the fraction itself. It was the plot that was divided yesterday, not the three eighths. Therefore, the participle agrees with the masculine genitive singular участка, taking the -ого ending.
Since the subject is a fraction, why is the verb принадлежат in the plural form?
With compound subjects involving numbers like 2, 3, and 4, Russian allows both singular and plural verbs. The plural принадлежат is often chosen to emphasize the parts as distinct, countable units. A singular verb would also be grammatically correct and would treat the fraction as one collective chunk.
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