Если ты приедешь вовремя, мы всё‑таки обсудим проект за ужином.

If you arrive on time, we will still discuss the project over dinner.

Breakdown of Если ты приедешь вовремя, мы всё‑таки обсудим проект за ужином.

• ужин: the dinner
• если: if
• мы: we
• вовремя: on time
• проект: the project
• ты: you
• за: over
• обсудить: to discuss
• приехать: to arrive (by transport)
• всё‑таки: after all / still

Questions & Answers about Если ты приедешь вовремя, мы всё‑таки обсудим проект за ужином.

Why does если require a comma in this sentence?

In Russian, a subordinate clause introduced by если (if) is normally separated from the main clause with a comma:

• Если ты приедешь вовремя, (subordinate condition)
• мы всё‑таки обсудим проект за ужином. (main result)

This is standard punctuation even when the English comma might be optional.

Why is it приедешь and not приезжаешь?

приедешь is the perfective verb приехать in the future (2nd person singular): you will arrive (as a completed arrival).

• Если ты приедешь вовремя = If you arrive (successfully, as an event) on time…

приезжаешь is imperfective приезжать (present form), often used for:

• habitual/repeated meaning: If you (usually) arrive on time…
• scheduled meaning (context-dependent): If you’re arriving on time (as planned)…

Here the condition is about a one-time, completed arrival, so perfective приедешь fits best.

Why is a future form used after если? Doesn’t Russian avoid future in if-clauses?

Russian freely uses future forms in если-clauses when talking about real future conditions:

• Если ты приедешь… мы обсудим… = future condition + future result

What Russian typically avoids is using a future tense in the same way English sometimes does for general truths; instead Russian chooses forms based on aspect and meaning. For a concrete future scenario, приедешь / обсудим is normal.

What does всё‑таки add here?

всё‑таки means something like after all / anyway / still / all the same, often implying there was doubt, delay, disagreement, or obstacles, but the action will happen regardless (given the condition).

• мы всё‑таки обсудим проект = we’ll discuss the project after all / we’ll manage to discuss it anyway

It can feel like: “We will, despite everything, end up discussing it.”

Why is всё‑таки written with a hyphen?

The standard spelling is hyphenated: всё-таки. It’s treated as a fixed particle/connector. You’ll also see it without ё as все-таки in texts where ё is not written, but the hyphen usually remains.

Why is it обсудим (perfective) and not обсуждаем / будем обсуждать?

обсудим is perfective future of обсудить: we will discuss (and cover it to some conclusion).

Imperfective options change the nuance:

• будем обсуждать = we will be discussing (process-focused, possibly lengthy/ongoing)
• обсуждаем (present) could be used for a planned/scheduled event in some contexts, but is less direct here.

Because the sentence suggests “we’ll actually get it discussed,” perfective обсудим matches the “result” feeling (especially alongside всё‑таки).

Why is проект in this form—what case is it?

проект is accusative singular, functioning as the direct object of обсудим (discuss what?):

• обсудим (что?) проект

For an inanimate masculine noun like проект, nominative and accusative are the same in singular, so it looks unchanged.

Why is it за ужином and not во время ужина?

за + instrumental in expressions like за ужином means during / over (a meal), focusing on the setting or occasion:

• обсудим проект за ужином = discuss the project over dinner

во время ужина is more neutral and time-literal: during dinner.
за ужином is idiomatic and common for conversations happening at the table / in the context of the meal.

What case is ужином, and why?

ужином is instrumental singular of ужин because the preposition за (in the “during/at (a meal)” meaning) governs the instrumental:

• за + instrumental → за ужином, за завтраком, за обедом

Why is the subject ты used—could it be вы instead?

Yes. ты is informal singular you. If you’re speaking politely or to more than one person, you’d use вы:

• Если вы приедете вовремя, мы всё‑таки обсудим проект за ужином.

Notice the verb changes: приедешь → приедете.

Is то missing? I’ve seen Если ..., то ....

то is optional. Если ..., то ... often adds clarity or emphasis (“then”):

• Если ты приедешь вовремя, то мы всё‑таки обсудим проект за ужином.

Without то, the sentence is still completely natural and often more streamlined.

Can the word order be changed?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, but the focus shifts.

Common variants:

• Мы всё‑таки обсудим проект за ужином, если ты приедешь вовремя. (emphasizes the plan; condition added after)
• Если ты приедешь вовремя, проект мы всё‑таки обсудим за ужином. (topicalizes проект, contrasting it with other topics)

The comma remains because you still have two clauses.