Breakdown of Отпечаток нужно выровнять.
нужно
to need
отпечаток
the print (photograph or artwork)
выровнять
to align; level (perfective)
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Отпечаток нужно выровнять.
Why is it нужно, not нужен?
Because нужно here is not the short adjective нужен meaning needed in a gendered way. It is the impersonal predicative word нужно, meaning it is necessary / one needs to.
So:
- Отпечаток нужен. = The print is needed.
- Отпечаток нужно выровнять. = The print needs to be aligned / It is necessary to align the print.
In your sentence, нужно introduces an action that has to be done, so it is followed by an infinitive: выровнять.
Why is выровнять in the infinitive?
Because after нужно, Russian commonly uses the infinitive to say what action is necessary.
Pattern:
- нужно + infinitive
Examples:
- Нужно подождать. = It is necessary to wait.
- Нужно проверить документ. = The document needs to be checked.
- Отпечаток нужно выровнять. = The print needs to be aligned.
So выровнять is the action that must be done.
Why is it выровнять and not выравнивать?