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Questions & Answers about Мы придём примерно в семь часов.
What does the verb form придём tell me (tense, aspect, person)?
It is 1st person plural, future tense of the perfective verb прийти “to come/arrive.” Perfective future implies a single, completed arrival in the future: “we will arrive.”
Why not приходим or мы будем приходить?
- Мы приходим means a habitual or scheduled action in the present (or general truth): “we (generally) come/arrive (at) seven.”
- Мы будем приходить is future habitual/repeated: “we will be coming (around) seven (regularly).”
- Мы придём is one specific arrival in the future.
Where did the й from прийти go in придём?
It drops in the conjugation. The future forms are:
- я приду
- ты придёшь
- он/она придёт
- мы придём
- вы придёте
- они придут The й appears in the infinitive (прийти) but not in these personal forms.
How is ё pronounced, and why is it sometimes written as е?
- ё is always stressed. After a consonant, it softens that consonant and is pronounced roughly like “yo/o.” In придём, say [pri-DYOM] (the д is soft).
- In many printed texts, the two dots are omitted, so you’ll see придем, but you should still pronounce it as придём.
Can I omit мы and just say Придём примерно в семь часов?
Yes. Russian often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending (-ём) already shows “we.” Keeping мы can add clarity or emphasis.
Why в семь часов and not в семи часах?
- Clock time “at [hour]” uses в
- accusative: в семь.
- With numbers 5 and above, the counted noun is in the genitive plural: часов.
So: в семь часов = “at seven o’clock.”
Forms like в семи часах are wrong for clock time.
Do I have to say часов, or can I just say в семь?
Both are fine. В семь is very common in speech; в семь часов is a bit fuller/clearer and neutral in tone.
How do I indicate AM/PM? Should I add утра or вечера?
Yes, add a time-of-day word:
- в семь утра = 7 a.m.
- в семь вечера = 7 p.m. Other options: в два часа ночи (2 a.m.), в три часа дня (3 p.m.).
What’s the difference between примерно, около, где-то, приблизительно, and к?
- примерно (в семь): neutral “approximately (at seven).”
- около (семи [часов]): “around seven,” no preposition в.
- где-то (в семь): colloquial “somewhere around seven.”
- приблизительно (в семь): a bit more formal “approximately.”
- к (семи [часам]): “by seven” (arrive no later than about seven, not necessarily exactly at seven).
Can I move примерно to a different position?
Yes. Common options:
- Мы придём примерно в семь часов.
- Мы примерно в семь часов придём.
- Примерно в семь часов мы придём. Placing примерно at the very end (…в семь часов примерно) can sound like an afterthought; it’s not wrong but is less neat.
When should I use придём vs приедем?
- придём (from прийти) is literally “come (on foot).”
- приедем (from приехать) is “arrive (by vehicle).” In careful speech, choose based on how you’ll arrive. In casual talk, people sometimes use придём loosely for “come,” but приедем is expected if you mean “we’ll drive/ride there.”
How do I say “in seven hours” instead of “at seven o’clock”?
- “In seven hours (from now)” = через семь часов.
- “Within/seven hours to complete something” = за семь часов.
- “For seven hours (duration)” = на семь часов.
- “Scheduled for 7 o’clock” can also be на семь часов (e.g., “appointment set for 7”).