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Language through Literature

The Death of a Clerk


Ничего не видя, ничего не слыша, он попятился к двери, вышел на улицу и поплелся…

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Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, he backed toward the door, went out into the street, and trudged off…

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Where it stands

В животе у Червякова что-то оторвалось. Something snapped loose in Chervyakov's belly.

Придя машинально домой, не снимая вицмундира, он лег на диван и… помер. Arriving home mechanically, without taking off his uniform coat, he lay down on the sofa and… died.

The words in this sentence

ничего́
nothing (gen/acc); never mind — ничто
не
not
ви́дя
seeing (gerund) — видеть
слы́ша
hearing (gerund) — слышать
он
he
попя́тился
backed away (past m) — попятиться
к
to, toward (+ dat)
две́ри
door (gen/dat/prep sg); doors (pl) — дверь
вы́шел
went out (past m of выйти) — выйти
на
on, onto; at
у́лицу
street (acc sg) — улица
и
and; also, even
поплёлся
trudged off (past m) — поплестись

А. П. Чехов, «Смерть чиновника», 1883 · sentence 45 of 46

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