Breakdown of Зайди в аптеку за лекарством по дороге домой, пожалуйста.
в
to
пожалуйста
please
дорога
the road
за
for
Questions & Answers about Зайди в аптеку за лекарством по дороге домой, пожалуйста.
Why is it зайди, and what verb is it from?
Зайди is the singular informal imperative form of the verb зайти (perfective), meaning to drop in / to stop by (briefly).
The base verb is идти (to go), and за- adds the idea of a short stop or going “in” as part of a route.
What’s the difference between зайди and заходи?
- зайди (perfective imperative) = do it once / make a single stop: Stop by the pharmacy (this time).
- заходи (imperfective imperative) can mean:
1) come in / drop by (more generally, habitually, or whenever): Drop by sometime.
2) sometimes a “come in” invitation while someone is at the door: Come in.
In this sentence, the “one specific errand” feeling fits зайди.
Why is it в аптеку and not в аптеке?
Because в + Accusative is used for motion/direction into a place: в аптеку = into/to the pharmacy.
в аптеке would be location (“in the pharmacy”), using в + Prepositional.
Why does become ?