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Breakdown of Ты не можешь отдыхать каждый день.
каждый
every
день
the day
не
not
отдыхать
to relax
ты
you
мочь
to be able to
Questions & Answers about Ты не можешь отдыхать каждый день.
What does the verb можешь mean in this sentence?
Можешь is the 2nd person singular present form of мочь (“to be able to” or “can”). Here Ты не можешь literally means “You cannot” or “You’re not able to.”
Why is не placed before можешь?
In Russian, the negative particle не generally precedes the verb it negates. So не можешь means “cannot” or “can’t.”
Why is отдыхать in the infinitive form?
After modal verbs like мочь you always use another verb in the infinitive. So можешь отдыхать = “you can rest.”
What case is каждый день, and why isn’t there a preposition?
Каждый день is a time expression in the accusative case used adverbially (no preposition needed). It literally means “every day.”
Why aren’t there articles before день (like “the” or “a”)?
Russian has no articles. Words like каждый already carry definiteness (“every”), so you simply say каждый день.
Could I change the word order to Каждый день ты не можешь отдыхать?
Yes. Russian word order is fairly flexible. Putting каждый день first shifts the emphasis onto “every day,” but the basic meaning stays the same.
What’s the difference between отдыхать and отдохнуть?
Отдыхать is imperfective, so it describes the process or a habitual action (“to rest/relax”). Отдохнуть is perfective and focuses on the completion of rest (“to get some rest” once).
Can I also say Тебе нельзя отдыхать каждый день? Does it mean the same?
Close, but not identical. Ты не можешь emphasizes inability (or permission from the speaker’s standpoint), while Тебе нельзя is impersonal and stresses external prohibition (“you’re not allowed”).
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