Breakdown of Он взглянул на часы и встал.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
часы
watch / clock
встать
to get up (perfective)
взглянуть
to glance, to take a look (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Он взглянул на часы и встал.
Since the lesson is about the attenuative prefix при- (doing something slightly), why use взглянул here instead of a verb like пригляделся?
The prefix при- with verbs of looking usually means doing something with a bit more intensity or focus, like peering closely (присмотрелся). Взглянуть, however, uses the suffix -ну-, which marks a semelfactive action—a single, quick, instantaneous movement. He just gave his watch a quick glance, rather than peering at it.
What imperfective verb does взглянул pair with, and how is it different from посмотрел?
It pairs with взглядывать, though that imperfective is quite rare. While both взглянуть and посмотреть can translate to "to look," взглянуть specifically means "to cast a quick glance." It comes from the root гляд-, related to глядеть (to gaze).
Why do we use the preposition на followed by the accusative case (часы) here?
Verbs of looking at a specific target (like смотреть, глядеть, and взглянуть) take на + the accusative case to show the direction of the gaze. Grammatically, your eyes are making a motion toward a destination.
How do we know часы means "watch" here and not "clock" or "hours"?
Strictly through context! The Russian word часы only has a plural form. It can mean "hours," "a clock," or "a watch." Because a person is checking the time before standing up, "watch" is the most natural English translation, though looking at a wall "clock" is technically just as valid in this sentence.
Learn Он взглянул на часы и встал and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free