Хоть бы основу выровняли сегодня.

In this sentence, хоть бы expresses a wish, hope, or slightly frustrated desire.

So Хоть бы основу выровняли сегодня means something like:

• If only they would level the base today
• At least let them level the base today
• I just hope they level the base today

Very often хоть бы sounds emotional: the speaker wants something to happen, sometimes because they are tired of waiting or worried it will not happen.

It does not literally mean even though here. In other contexts, хоть can mean other things, but in this pattern хоть бы + past tense form it expresses a wish.

This is a very common Russian pattern.

After хоть бы, Russian often uses a past tense plural form to express a wish about the present or future.

So although выровняли is formally a past tense verb, here it does not mean that the action already happened. Instead, it works like:

• if only they would level
• I wish they’d level

This is similar to how some languages use past forms for unreal or wished-for situations.

So:

• выровняли = literally past plural form
• but in this construction = desired future result

The plural form here usually refers to unspecified people — the workers, builders, crew, or whoever is responsible.

Russian often uses 3rd person plural when the doer is not named but is understood from context.

So this sentence implies something like:

• If only they’d level the base today
• where they = the people who are supposed to do it

It does not necessarily mean the speaker knows exactly who those people are or wants to name them.

Because основу is in the accusative case.

The verb выровнять is transitive, so it takes a direct object:

• выровнять что? = to level what?
• основу = the base / foundation / underlying layer

For a feminine noun like основа, the singular forms are:

• nominative: основа
• accusative: основу

So here:

• основу = the thing being leveled

Основа literally means base, foundation, or underlying layer.

The exact translation depends on context. For example, it could refer to:

• a construction base or foundation
• a surface layer before further work
• some underlying structure that needs to be leveled

So the word is fairly general by itself. The surrounding situation tells you what kind of base is meant.

Выровняли is the perfective past plural form of выровнять, meaning to level something completely / achieve a level result.

That is important here because the speaker is hoping for a completed result:

• not just to be leveling it
• but to get it leveled

Compare:

• выровняли → perfective, result-oriented, got it leveled
• выравнивали → imperfective, process-oriented, were leveling / used to level

In a sentence with хоть бы, perfective is very natural when the speaker wants the action to be accomplished.

Yes, very easily.

Хоть бы often carries emotional color such as:

• impatience
• frustration
• worry
• hope against the odds

So depending on intonation, this sentence could mean:

• I really hope they level the base today
• At least let them level the base today already
• If only they’d finally level the base today

It often suggests that the speaker is not confident it will happen, or that other delays/problems already exist.

Сегодня means today and sets the time for the wished-for action.

The sentence could also be rearranged, for example:

• Хоть бы сегодня основу выровняли.
• Основу хоть бы сегодня выровняли.

Russian word order is flexible, and changing the order changes the emphasis:

• Хоть бы основу выровняли сегодня → stronger focus on the base and then today
• Хоть бы сегодня основу выровняли → stronger focus on today

All of these are possible, though the original sounds natural.

Yes. Russian often omits the subject when it is obvious or unimportant.

Here the subject is not stated, but it is understood as something like:

• они = they
• meaning the workers / builders / people responsible

A fuller version would be:

• Хоть бы они основу выровняли сегодня.

But Russian usually leaves out они unless it needs emphasis.

Yes, but хоть бы + past tense is one of the most common patterns for expressing a wish.

For example:

• Хоть бы дождь закончился.
  If only the rain would stop.
• Хоть бы он позвонил.
  If only he would call.
• Хоть бы успеть.
  If only I could make it in time.

So the exact structure can vary, but the core feeling is the same: the speaker strongly hopes for something.

It is quite natural, especially in spoken Russian.

It sounds like something a person might say when:

• waiting for construction work to be done
• discussing delays
• hoping one specific stage gets completed today

The sentence is short, colloquial, and emotionally realistic. A native speaker would understand it immediately as a wish or frustrated hope.