Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Вчера я ходил в город.
Why is the verb ходил used instead of идти in this sentence?
In Russian, ходить (with the past tense form ходил) typically describes movement that is habitual, repetitive, or involves a round trip. In contrast, идти (or its past form шёл) emphasizes a single, one-direction journey. In the sentence Вчера я ходил в город, using ходил suggests that the trip to the city implied both going there and returning, or it reflects the usual manner of traveling on foot.
What is the function of the word Вчера at the beginning of the sentence?
Вчера means “yesterday” and functions as a time adverb. In Russian, time adverbs are often placed at the beginning of a sentence to immediately set the context for when an action took place. This placement emphasizes the timing of the event.
Why is the phrase в город used, and what grammatical case does it indicate?
The phrase в город means “to the city” and uses the preposition в with the accusative case. In Russian, when expressing direction toward a destination—especially with inanimate nouns like город (city)—the preposition в is paired with the accusative case to indicate movement into or towards that place.
How does the form ходил reflect the speaker’s gender?
In Russian, past tense verbs must agree in gender with the subject. The ending -л in ходил indicates that the speaker is male. If the subject were female, the sentence would use ходила instead.
Does the verb ходил imply that the speaker walked rather than used another mode of transport?
Yes, the verb ходил is derived from ходить, which generally means “to go on foot” or “to walk.” Its use in this sentence implies that the speaker traveled by walking, as opposed to using a car or another mode of transportation.
Can ходил indicate both a one-time trip and a habitual action?
While ходить can express habitual or repeated movement in other contexts, the presence of Вчера (a specific time marker) in this sentence indicates a particular occasion. Here, ходил signifies that the speaker went to the city on that day (likely making a round trip), rather than describing a habitual routine.