Breakdown of Завтра я привезу книгу другу.
друг
the friend
я
I
книга
the book
завтра
tomorrow
привезти
to bring
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Questions & Answers about Завтра я привезу книгу другу.
Why is the verb привезу used here, and what exactly does it mean?
Привезу is the 1st-person singular future form of the perfective verb привезти. It literally means “I will bring (something by transport, usually not by hand).” Because it’s perfective, it focuses on the single, completed action of bringing, and so there is no present tense for привезти—only future.
What’s the difference between привезти and принести? Both look like “to bring.”
They are both perfective and both translate as “to bring,” but:
- принести implies bringing something on foot or by hand (to carry).
- привезти implies bringing something by vehicle or heavier transport (to drive/transport).
Choose based on how the item is delivered.
Why is книгу in this sentence, and why does it end in –у?
Книга (“book”) is the direct object of привезу, so it takes the accusative case. As a feminine singular noun ending in –а, its accusative form is –у (книга → книгу).
Why is другу used without a preposition, and why that ending?
Другу is the indirect object (“to a friend”), so it takes the dative case. In Russian you don’t need a preposition for an indirect object—just change the noun’s ending. Masculine singular nouns like друг become другу in the dative.
Could you use an imperfective verb here, like буду привозить?
Yes, you could say Завтра я буду привозить книгу другу, but that is the imperfective future. It emphasizes the ongoing or repeated nature of the action (e.g. “I will be bringing…” or “I will bring repeatedly”). Using the perfective привезу simply states one completed action: “I will bring.”
Is the word order fixed? Can I say Я завтра привезу книгу другу or Завтра книгу я привезу другу?
Russian word order is relatively flexible. All these are grammatically correct:
• Я завтра привезу книгу другу. (Neutral)
• Завтра я привезу другу книгу. (Emphasizes friend)
• Завтра книгу я привезу другу. (Emphasizes book)
Moving words shifts the focus or nuance but doesn’t break grammar.
Why include я at all? Couldn’t you drop it and just say Завтра привезу книгу другу?
You can drop я because the verb ending –у already tells you it’s 1st-person singular. Omitting я makes the sentence more colloquial or stylistically neutral. Including я simply adds a bit of emphasis on “I.”
What if I said Привезу другу книгу завтра? Would it still work?
Yes. Placing завтра at the end is possible: Привезу другу книгу завтра. It’s understood, though most speakers prefer to put time words like завтра at or near the beginning: Завтра привезу другу книгу for clarity.