Breakdown of Мы собираемся отметить выпускной вечер дома.
вечер
the evening
дома
at home
мы
we
собираться
to be going to
Questions & Answers about Мы собираемся отметить выпускной вечер дома.
What does собираемся literally mean, and why does it translate as are going to?
The verb собираться literally means to gather / to get ready / to intend.
In the form мы собираемся it often expresses an intention about the future, very close to English we are going to (plan, intention), not physical movement.
So:
- Мы собираемся отметить… = We are going to celebrate… / We intend to celebrate…
- It is present tense in form, but often refers to a future action based on a plan or decision.
How is мы собираемся отметить different from мы будем отмечать or мы отметим?
All three are future-related, but with different nuances.
- Мы собираемся отметить… – focus on intention/plan: We are going to celebrate… / We plan to celebrate…
- Мы будем отмечать… – future continuous/imperfective: We will be celebrating… (emphasis on the process, duration, or repeated action).
- Мы отметим… – simple perfective future: We will celebrate… (focus on the fact that the event will take place and be completed).
In this sentence, мы собираемся отметить sounds like talking about a decided plan for a single future celebration.
Why is отметить (perfective) used instead of отмечать (imperfective)?