Questions & Answers about Мы обсудили миссию.
Why is миссия written as миссию here?
Because it is the direct object of the verb обсудили (discussed), so it takes the accusative case.
- Dictionary form: миссия
- Accusative singular: миссию
This happens because обсудить takes a direct object without a preposition.
So:
- Мы обсудили миссию = We discussed the mission
Since миссия is a feminine noun ending in -я, its accusative singular changes to -ю.
What does обсудили mean exactly?
Обсудили is the past tense plural form of обсудить, which means to discuss, to talk over, or to go over something and reach some kind of conclusion.
In this sentence, обсудили means:
- we discussed
- we talked over
The ending -ли shows past tense plural, matching мы (we).
Why is it обсудили and not обсуждали?
This is a very common aspect question.
- обсудить = perfective
- обсуждать = imperfective
Мы обсудили миссию uses the perfective verb, which suggests the discussion is viewed as a completed whole.
So it means something like:
- We discussed the mission
- We finished discussing the mission
If you said Мы обсуждали миссию, that would focus more on the process:
- We were discussing the mission
- We discussed the mission (with emphasis on the activity, not necessarily the result)
Why is there no word for the in the sentence?
Russian has no articles, so there is no direct equivalent of the or a/an.
So миссию can mean:
- the mission
- a mission
The exact meaning depends on context. In your sentence, the translation is probably the mission because the mission is already known from the situation.
Why is мы included? Can it be omitted?
Yes, it can often be omitted.
Russian past tense verbs already show number and sometimes gender, so обсудили already tells you the subject is plural.
That means both of these are possible:
- Мы обсудили миссию.
- Обсудили миссию.
Including мы makes the subject explicit and can add emphasis or clarity:
- We discussed the mission.
Without мы, it can sound a little more natural in context if the subject is already obvious.
What is the normal word order here? Could the words be rearranged?
Yes. Russian word order is more flexible than English word order.
The neutral order here is:
- Мы обсудили миссию.
But other orders are possible, depending on emphasis:
- Миссию мы обсудили. = As for the mission, we discussed it.
- Обсудили мы миссию. = marked or contrastive, depending on context
So the basic meaning stays similar, but the focus changes.
How do you pronounce обсудили миссию and where is the stress?
The stress is:
- обсуди́ли
- ми́ссию
So the full sentence is pronounced approximately:
- my ahbsu-DEE-lee MEE-see-yu
A few helpful notes:
- Мы sounds like my but shorter and with a Russian ы sound.
- In обсуди́ли, the stress is on -ди́-.
- In ми́ссию, the stress is on the first syllable.
What grammar form is обсудили exactly?
It is:
- past tense
- plural
- from the verb обсудить
- perfective aspect
Russian past tense is formed differently from English. In the plural, past tense verbs usually end in -ли:
- я/он/она обсудил / обсудила
- мы/вы/они обсудили
Because the subject is мы, the verb must be обсудили.
Is миссия feminine? Does that matter here?
Yes, миссия is a feminine noun.
You can tell from its dictionary form ending -я, which is typical for many feminine nouns.
That matters because feminine nouns change in certain ways by case. Here:
- nominative: миссия
- accusative: миссию
So the noun’s gender helps determine how it declines.
Does обсудить always take the accusative without a preposition?
Usually, yes. Обсудить normally takes a direct object in the accusative case.
Examples:
- обсудить план = to discuss the plan
- обсудить проблему = to discuss the problem
- обсудить миссию = to discuss the mission
So in your sentence, миссию is exactly the form you would expect after обсудили.
Can миссия mean different kinds of mission?
Yes. Миссия can be used in several senses, for example:
- a military or space mission
- a diplomatic mission
- a religious mission
- an organization’s or person’s mission/purpose
So the exact shade of meaning depends on context. Grammatically, though, the sentence works the same way in all of these meanings.
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