Breakdown of Нужно ценить каждый момент жизни.
каждый
every
нужно
should
ценить
to appreciate
момент
the moment
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Questions & Answers about Нужно ценить каждый момент жизни.
What part of speech is нужно, and what does it mean here?
Нужно is an impersonal modal predicate expressing necessity. Literally it means “it is necessary,” so the full idea is “It is necessary to appreciate every moment of life.” In natural English we’d say, “You must appreciate every moment of life.”
Why is ценить in the infinitive form instead of a conjugated verb?
After impersonal necessity words like нужно or надо, Russian requires the action verb to stay in the infinitive. The infinitive ценить simply names the action that must be done (“to appreciate”).
Why is there no explicit subject like “we” or “you” in this sentence?
Because the construction with нужно is impersonal. There is no grammatical subject—нужно applies generally to anyone. In English we often add “it” or “you” for convenience, but in Russian you leave it out.
What case is каждый момент, and why does it look like the nominative?
Каждый is nominative masculine singular to agree with момент. As the direct object of ценить, момент should be in the accusative case. However, since момент is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form is identical to its nominative. Hence каждый момент serves as the object.
Why is жизни in the genitive case?
Жизни is the genitive singular of жизнь (“life”). Here it functions as an attribute meaning “of life.” In Russian you often use the genitive after words like момент to express “a moment of something.”
Can I replace нужно with надо in this sentence?
Yes. Надо ценить каждый момент жизни is equally correct. Both words express that something is necessary. Надо feels a bit more colloquial, while нужно is slightly more formal or neutral.
What’s the difference between ценить and оценивать? Could I say оценивать каждый момент жизни?
No, you wouldn’t use оценивать here. Ценить means “to value, cherish, appreciate” in an emotional or subjective sense. Оценивать means “to evaluate or assess” in a more objective or quantitative way. Saying оценивать каждый момент жизни would sound like you’re grading each moment rather than enjoying or cherishing it.