Я могу решить задачу.

I can solve the problem.

Breakdown of Я могу решить задачу.

• я: I
• мочь: to be able to
• решить: to solve
• задача: the problem

Questions & Answers about Я могу решить задачу.

What part of speech is могу, and what does it mean?

Могу is the 1st person singular present-tense form of the verb мочь (“to be able to”). It’s a modal verb used like English “can” or “am able to.” Russian has no separate auxiliary “can”—you simply conjugate мочь and follow it with an infinitive.

Why is решить in the infinitive form rather than a conjugated form?

Modal verbs in Russian (like мочь) require the next verb to be in the infinitive. The pattern is:
• Conjugated form of мочь + infinitive
So you say Я могу + решить, not Я решаю or Я решю. The infinitive решить names the action over which you express ability.

What’s the difference between решить and решать?

They form an aspectual pair:

• решать (imperfective) describes ongoing, habitual or repeated solving (“I am solving,” “I solve problems regularly”).
• решить (perfective) describes a single, completed action (“to solve completely”).
  In Я могу решить задачу you emphasize completing the solution.

Why is the noun задачу used here, and not задача?

Задачу is the accusative singular form of задача (a feminine noun). Because задачу is the direct object of решить, it takes the accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in –а change that ending to –у in the accusative.

Why isn’t there a word equivalent to the English “to” before “solve”?

English modal verbs (can, should, must) require the infinitive marker “to” before the main verb (can solve → can to solve). Russian modals like мочь simply take the infinitive directly, without any additional particle.

Can you drop the subject Я and just say Могу решить задачу?

Yes. Russian often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending makes the subject clear. Могу решить задачу still means “I can solve the problem,” though including Я adds a bit of emphasis on “I.”

Is the word order fixed as Я могу решить задачу?

Neutral order is Subject–Verb–Object (SVO): Я (S) – могу решить (V) – задачу (O). Russian word order is flexible for emphasis:

• Задачу я могу решить (It’s the problem that I can solve).
• Могу я решить задачу? (Question: “Can I solve the problem?”)
  But SVO is most common in statements.

Where do you place stress in Я могу решить задачу?

• Я [ya] – monosyllabic
• могу́ (mo-GÚ) – stress on the second syllable
• реши́ть (re-SHÍTʹ) – stress on the second syllable
• зада́чу (za-DÁ-chu) – stress on the second syllable