Learn Hardcore Russian: Моя мечта — путешествовать летом с другом. - My dream is to travel in summer with a friend.

Russian often omits the present-tense verb есть (is/are) in sentences like Subject = Predicate. A dash links the two parts: Моя мечта — путешествовать…. You can add это for emphasis: Моя мечта — это путешествовать…. A comma is not used here.

Why is путешествовать in the infinitive?

After a noun like мечта, Russian commonly uses a bare infinitive to name the activity: мечта — путешествовать (the dream is to travel). If you use the noun путешествие, you shift the meaning to “a trip”:

Моя мечта — путешествовать = My dream is the activity of traveling.
Моя мечта — путешествие = My dream is a (specific) trip/journey.

Why is it летом without a preposition?

Seasons are typically used in the instrumental case (no preposition) to mean “in [season]”: зимой, весной, летом, осенью.

Correct: летом (in summer)
Not used: в летом
For months, use a preposition: в июне, в августе.

What case is другом, and why?

It’s instrumental singular. The preposition с meaning “with (together with)” takes the instrumental: с другом (with a friend), с братом, с сестрой.

Can I say со другом?

No. Use с другом. The form со is used for euphony before certain sounds or clusters (e.g., со мной, со всеми, со школой). Before д in другом, с is standard.

How would I say “with a female friend,” “with my friend,” or “with friends”?

With a female friend: с подругой
With my friend: со своим другом (male) / со своей подругой (female)
With friends: с друзьями (note the irregular plural of друг)

Is the word order fixed?

No. You can move adverbials for focus/emphasis:

Моя мечта — путешествовать летом с другом. (neutral)
Моя мечта — летом путешествовать с другом. (focus on “in summer”)
Путешествовать летом с другом — моя мечта. (emphasizes the activity)

Why моя, not мой, with мечта?

Мечта is feminine, so the possessive must agree: моя мечта. For masculine nouns: мой друг.

What’s the difference between путешествовать, ехать/поехать, and ездить?

путешествовать = to travel (as an activity; often leisurely or over longer distances/time).
ехать / поехать = to go by vehicle (one trip; imperfective/perfective).
ездить = to go by vehicle repeatedly or habitually (multidirectional).
Here, путешествовать is best because it names the dream activity of traveling.

Could I use a perfective like попутешествовать?

Yes, but it changes nuance: попутешествовать suggests “to do some traveling for a while” (bounded, for some time). With a timeless dream, the imperfective путешествовать is more natural.

Can I express the idea with a verb instead of the noun мечта?

Yes: Я мечтаю путешествовать летом с другом. Same idea, slightly more personal/direct. The original with мечта — … is a copular (X is Y) style.

How would I say “I dream of a trip in the summer with a friend” using a noun?

Use мечтать о + prepositional or мечта — + a noun:

Я мечтаю о путешествии летом с другом.
Моя мечта — путешествие летом с другом.
This focuses on a specific trip rather than the activity of traveling.

Does с другом mean a male friend specifically?

Yes, друг is grammatically masculine and usually refers to a male friend. For a female friend, use подруга: с подругой. For a romantic partner, Russians typically say с парнем (boyfriend) or с девушкой (girlfriend).

How is the sentence stressed and pronounced?

Primary stresses: Моя́ мечта́ — путеше́ствовать ле́том с дру́гом.
Approx. IPA: [mɐˈja mʲɪt͡ɕˈta pʊtʲɪˈʂestvəvətʲ ˈlʲetəm s ˈdruɡəm].
In connected speech, с before a voiced consonant often sounds like другом ≈ [з дру́гам].

Any punctuation/capitalization tips?

Use an em dash — with spaces on both sides: мечта — путешествовать.
Seasons are not capitalized: летом.
Don’t use a comma in place of the dash here.