Learn Hardcore Russian: По утрам я одеваюсь быстро, чтобы не опоздать на работу. - In the mornings I get dressed quickly so as not to be late for work.

По + dative plural expresses a recurring time frame. Here По утрам literally means “in the mornings” or “every morning,” indicating a habitual action.

Why is одеваться reflexive rather than just одевать?

Одеваться is the reflexive form meaning “to get dressed” (i.e. you dress yourself). The non-reflexive одевать is a transitive verb meaning “to dress someone (else).” To say “I get dressed,” Russian uses одеваться.

What part of speech is быстро, and what does it modify?

Быстро is an adverb (from быстрый “fast”). It modifies the verb одеваться, telling us how the action is done: “I dress quickly.”

How does чтобы work here, and how is it different from что бы?

Чтобы is a purpose conjunction meaning “in order to.” It introduces the goal of dressing quickly: чтобы не опоздать на работу = “in order not to be late for work.” By contrast, что бы (two words) is a combination of the conjunction что and the particle бы used in different contexts (e.g. conditional clauses).

Why is не опоздать in the infinitive, and why use the perfective aspect?

After чтобы Russian often uses the infinitive to express purpose. The perfective опоздать (not imperfective опаздывать) emphasizes the single complete action of becoming late. With the negative particle не, it means “to avoid being late.”

Why is на работу in the accusative case rather than another case?

The preposition на with accusative indicates direction or movement toward a place: на работу = “to work.” If you wanted to say “at work,” you would use на работе (prepositional case).

Is the word order По утрам я одеваюсь быстро acceptable instead?

Yes. Russian word order is flexible for emphasis. Moving быстро right after одеваюсь still conveys “I get dressed quickly in the mornings.” The nuance shifts slightly depending on which element you emphasize.