Questions & Answers about Он отошёл от двери.
Why is it отошёл, and not ушёл?
Both verbs can be translated as went away / moved away, but they are not the same.
- отойти → to step away, move away from something/someone
- уйти → to leave, go away, depart
In Он отошёл от двери, the idea is specifically that he moved away from the door, not necessarily that he left the place completely.
So:
- Он отошёл от двери = he stepped/moved away from the door
- Он ушёл = he left
The prefix от- often adds the sense of away from.
Why is двери used here instead of дверь?
Because after от in this meaning, Russian normally uses the genitive case.
The basic dictionary form is:
- дверь = door
But after от:
- от двери = from the door
So двери here is the genitive singular form of дверь.
What does от mean in this sentence?