Breakdown of Каждый избиратель считает этого кандидата достойным мэром.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
каждый
every
кандидат
candidate
считать
to count; to consider
мэр
mayor
избиратель
voter
достойный
worthy
Questions & Answers about Каждый избиратель считает этого кандидата достойным мэром.
Why is "a worthy mayor" (достойным мэром) in the Instrumental case here?
The verb считать (to consider) is a transitive verb that requires two parts to complete its meaning: a direct object in the Accusative case (who or what is being considered, here этого кандидата) and a complement in the Instrumental case (what they are considered to be, here достойным мэром).
Why does этого кандидата have Genitive case endings if it is the direct object?
It is in the Accusative case, but because кандидат is a masculine animate noun (a living person), its Accusative endings match the Genitive endings. This rule applies to both the noun itself and any modifiers attached to it, like the demonstrative pronoun этот, which becomes этого.
Could I use the perfective verb посчитать instead of считает here?
Not easily in this context. When expressing a general, ongoing opinion or attitude ("holds the belief that"), Russian uses the imperfective считать. The perfective посчитать usually means to form an opinion at a specific point in time or to literally count something.
Do I need to use a preposition like как (as) before достойным мэром?
No, you do not need a preposition. While in English we often say "considers him as a mayor" or "to be a mayor," Russian relies entirely on the Instrumental case to show this relationship with the verb считать. Adding как here would be grammatically incorrect.
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