Я всегда беру свой чемодан с собой, когда отправляюсь в поездку.

I

Breakdown of Я всегда беру свой чемодан с собой, когда отправляюсь в поездку.

• с: with
• в: to
• поездка: the trip
• когда: when
• всегда: always
• себя: myself
• свой: my
• чемодан: the suitcase
• брать: to take
• отправляться: to go

Questions & Answers about Я всегда беру свой чемодан с собой, когда отправляюсь в поездку.

What does the phrase с собой mean in this sentence?

С собой literally translates as “with oneself” and in this context means “with me.” It indicates that the speaker is taking their suitcase along on the trip.

Why is свой used before чемодан instead of мой?

Свой is a reflexive possessive adjective used when the subject of the sentence owns the object. Since the subject Я (I) is the owner of the чемодан, свой naturally refers back to the subject. This avoids redundancy and is the standard choice in Russian.

What tense and form are the verbs беру and отправляюсь, and how do they function in this sentence?

Both беру (from брать) and отправляюсь (from отправляться) are in the first-person singular present tense. Беру means “I take” and отправляюсь means “I set off” or “depart.” The present tense is used here to describe habitual actions and planned activities, which is common in Russian.

Why is the subject “Я” omitted in the subordinate clause introduced by когда?

In Russian, the subject pronoun is often dropped when the verb ending clearly indicates the subject. In the clause когда отправляюсь в поездку, the form отправляюсь already shows that the speaker (Я) is performing the action, making the explicit use of “Я” unnecessary.

What case is used in поездку, and what is the function of the preposition в in this phrase?

Поездку is in the accusative case because the preposition в requires the accusative when indicating direction or destination. Together, в поездку means “on a trip” or “for a trip,” specifying where the action of departing is headed.