Я собираюсь поехать к морю с женой летом.

I am going to go to the sea with my wife in the summer.

Breakdown of Я собираюсь поехать к морю с женой летом.

• я: I
• к: to
• море: the sea
• летом: in the summer
• поехать: to go
• собираться: to be going to
• жена: the wife
• с: off

Questions & Answers about Я собираюсь поехать к морю с женой летом.

Why is собираюсь reflexive (ends in -сь) and what does собираться mean here?

Собираться is a reflexive verb that often means to be getting ready / to plan / to be about to. In this sentence, Я собираюсь + infinitive expresses an intention or plan: I’m planning / I’m going to (go). The -сь is part of the verb’s dictionary form (собираться) and is not optional.

Why do we use поехать and not ехать?

This is about aspect and typical phrasing:

• поехать is perfective and focuses on the single departure / the start of the trip (setting off).
• ехать is imperfective and focuses on the process of traveling (being on the way). With собираюсь, Russian commonly uses a perfective infinitive like поехать to mean “I plan to go (set off).”
  You can say Я собираюсь ехать…, but it more strongly highlights the traveling process (less common in this exact “plan to go” sense).

What tense is Я собираюсь поехать…—is it present or future?

Grammatically, собираюсь is present tense (1st person singular) of собираться. But the whole construction expresses a future intention: “I’m planning to go (in the future).” The future meaning comes from the idea of planning + the infinitive.

How is собираюсь conjugated, and what’s the infinitive?

Infinitive: собираться.
Я собираюсь = “I am planning / I’m going to.”
It’s 1st person singular, present tense. (Related forms: ты собираешься, он/она собирается, мы собираемся, вы собираетесь, они собираются.)

Why is it к морю and not в море?

Because к + dative means toward / to (a destination): к морю = “to the sea / toward the seaside.”
в море means “into the sea / in the sea” (physically in the water), which is a different idea.

What case is морю in к морю?

After к, Russian uses the dative case.
море (nominative) → морю (dative singular).
So к морю = “to the sea.”

Could this also be said as на море? What’s the difference from к морю?

Yes, and both are common, but the nuance differs:

• к морю focuses on direction: “(go) toward/to the sea.”
• на море often means “to the seaside / on a seaside vacation” (a set phrase, similar to “go to the seaside”).
  If you’re talking about a holiday, поехать на море is extremely common.

Why is it с женой and what case is женой?

с meaning “with” requires the instrumental case.
жена (nominative) → женой (instrumental singular).
So с женой = “with (my) wife.”

Does с женой mean “with my wife,” even though my isn’t there?

Yes. Russian often omits possessives when the relationship is obvious from context. с женой usually implies with my wife unless context suggests someone else’s wife. You can make it explicit with с моей женой.

Why is летом in that form—what case is it?

летом is the instrumental case of лето used in a common time expression meaning in summer.
Many seasons and times use instrumental this way: летом, зимой, весной, осенью.

Can I change the word order, like putting летом earlier?

Yes—word order is flexible, and changes mainly affect emphasis:

• Я собираюсь летом поехать к морю с женой. (emphasizes “in summer”)
• Летом я собираюсь поехать к морю с женой. (sets the time as the topic)
• Я собираюсь поехать к морю летом с женой. (still fine; minor emphasis changes) The original order is natural and neutral.

Can Russian drop Я here?

Yes. The verb ending already shows the subject, so it’s common to say:
Собираюсь поехать к морю с женой летом.
Including Я can add emphasis or clarity (for contrast: “I’m the one who’s going…”).

How would this differ from Я поеду к морю с женой летом?

• Я поеду… is a more direct future statement/decision: “I will go / I’ll go…”
• Я собираюсь поехать… emphasizes intention/plan: “I’m planning to go…”
  Both are correct; собираюсь sounds more like you have a plan in mind (even if not fully decided).