Learn Hardcore Russian: Итак, я решил прочитать статью ещё раз. - Thus, I decided to read the article once more.

Итак is an introductory word meaning so, thus, or now. It’s used to signal a transition or summary (“now that we’ve come to this point, here’s what I did next”). It doesn’t carry a lot of lexical meaning by itself but helps structure discourse.

Why is there a comma after Итак?

Because Итак is an introductory element. In Russian, introductory words or phrases (like итак, однако, значит) are separated from the main clause by a comma.

Why is the verb прочитать used instead of читать?

прочитать is the perfective aspect of читать. Perfective verbs indicate a completed action (to read through to the end). Imperfective читать would focus on the process (“to be reading” or habitual action) without implying completion.

What does ещё раз mean, and why use it instead of just снова or опять?

ещё раз literally means one more time or once again. It emphasizes the number of repetitions (“I will read it an additional time”). снова and опять also mean “again,” but without the explicit “one more time” nuance. All are correct, but ещё раз is most natural when you stress “doing it one more time.”

Why is статья in the accusative case as статью?

Because статью is the direct object of the transitive verb прочитать. Feminine nouns ending in -я change to -ю in the accusative singular: статья → статью.

Why is решил followed directly by the infinitive прочитать, and could we say я решил читать статью?

Verbs of decision like решить take an infinitive to express “decided to [do something]”: я решил прочитать = “I decided to read.” You can say я решил читать статью, but that uses the imperfective and sounds like “I decided to start/keep on reading” rather than “I decided to read it through again.” Perfective прочитать is more natural for a one-time, completed act.

Could we say я решил ещё раз прочитать статью, and how does the word order affect emphasis?

Yes. Both я решил ещё раз прочитать статью and я решил прочитать статью ещё раз are correct. Placing ещё раз earlier (right after решил) highlights the repetition as part of the decision. Putting it at the end shifts slight emphasis onto статью and sounds more neutral.

Why is the diacritic ё used in ещё, and could it be written еще?

In standard spelling, ещё always uses ё to mark the /o/ sound after щ. Many texts (especially informal) omit the diacritic and print еще, but proper orthography retains ё to avoid ambiguity in pronunciation.

Why isn’t there a что after решил, as in я решил, что…?

With verbs like решить, you normally follow directly with an infinitive (решил прочитать). If you insert что, you must switch to a finite clause and usually change the verb’s form: я решил, что прочитаю статью ещё раз (“I decided that I will read the article once more”). That’s a different construction.