Breakdown of Он продал старую машину.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
машина
car
старый
old
продать
to sell (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Он продал старую машину.
Why does the adjective старую end in -ую instead of -ая?
The phrase старую машину is the direct object of the verb (it is the thing being sold), so it needs the Accusative case. Since машина is a feminine noun, the adjective modifying it takes the feminine Accusative ending. The standard feminine adjective dictionary ending -ая changes to -ую.
Just as a refresher, why did машина change to машину?
Because it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb продал. In the Accusative case, feminine nouns that end in -а in the dictionary change their ending to -у.
Why use the perfective verb продал here instead of the imperfective продавал?
Продал focuses on the successful, completed result of the action: the sale is finished and he no longer has the car. If you used the imperfective продавал, it would mean he was in the process of selling it, or was merely trying to sell it (but maybe had not found a buyer yet).
How do you form the past tense of продать (to sell) for other genders?
It is formed just like the verb дать (to give). While the masculine past tense продал looks completely regular, pay attention to the pronunciation if you change the gender! The masculine is stressed on the first syllable (продал), but the feminine shifts the stress to the very end (продала).
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