Кажется, мне нужно купить зонтик из-за возможного дождя.

It seems I need to buy an umbrella because of possible rain.

Breakdown of Кажется, мне нужно купить зонтик из-за возможного дождя.

• я: I
• купить: to buy
• дождь: the rain
• нужно: necessary

Questions & Answers about Кажется, мне нужно купить зонтик из-за возможного дождя.

What does Кажется mean in this sentence, and why is it used without a subject?

Кажется is an impersonal verb meaning “it seems” or “apparently.” In Russian, impersonal verbs don’t take a grammatical subject; they just state that something appears to be the case. Here Кажется introduces the speaker’s inference: “It seems (to me).”

Why is мне in the dative case with нужно?

The adjective-like word нужно (meaning “necessary” or “need to”) requires a dative “experiencer”—the person for whom something is necessary. Thus мне (dative of “I”) marks who needs something. Literally: “For me it is necessary to buy an umbrella.”

Why is купить in the infinitive form here?

After нужно, Russian uses the infinitive to express what action is necessary. You never conjugate the verb in a personal form; you keep it as “to buy” (купить) when saying you need to do something.

Why is зонтик in the accusative case?

The infinitive купить takes a direct object in the accusative. Since зонтик (umbrella) is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form is identical to the nominative: зонтик.

What is the function of из-за, and why not use or instead?