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The Death of a Clerk


Но вдруг лицо его поморщилось, глаза подкатились, дыхание остановилось… он отвел от глаз бинокль, нагнулся и…. апчхи!!!

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But suddenly his face puckered up, his eyes rolled, his breathing stopped… he lowered the opera glasses from his eyes, bent down, and…. atchoo!!!

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Where it stands

В рассказах часто встречается это «но вдруг». In stories one often comes across this «but suddenly».

Авторы правы: жизнь так полна внезапностей! The authors are right: life is so full of the unexpected!

Чихнул, как видите. He sneezed, as you can see.

Чихать никому и нигде не возбраняется. Sneezing is forbidden to no one and nowhere.

The words in this sentence

но
but
вдруг
suddenly
лицо́
face; personage (nom/acc sg)
его́
his (poss. pron.) — он
помо́рщилось
winced (past n) — поморщиться
глаза́
eyes (nom/acc pl) — глаз
подкати́лись
to roll up (of eyes) (v., pf.) — подкатиться
дыха́ние
breathing, breath (nom/acc sg)
останови́лось
stopped (past n) — остановиться
он
he
отвёл
led away (past m) — отвести
от
from, away from (+gen)
глаз
eye (nom sg); eyes (gen pl)
бино́кль
opera glasses, binoculars
нагну́лся
bent down, stooped (past m of нагнуться) — нагнуться
и
and; also, even
апчхи́
achoo! (sneeze sound)

А. П. Чехов, «Смерть чиновника», 1883 · sentence 5 of 46

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