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Пора выходить, иначе мы опоздаем на приём к врачу.

Пора выходить, иначе мы опоздаем на приём к врачу.
It’s time to leave, otherwise we’ll be late for the doctor’s appointment.

Breakdown of Пора выходить, иначе мы опоздаем на приём к врачу.

на
for
к
to
мы
we
опоздать
to be late
врач
the doctor
выходить
to leave
иначе
otherwise
пора
it’s time
приём
the appointment
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Questions & Answers about Пора выходить, иначе мы опоздаем на приём к врачу.

What does пора mean here, and why is there no verb like “it is” (есть)?

Пора means it’s time / time to. In the present tense, Russian usually omits “to be,” so you don’t say есть пора. The structure is simply Пора + infinitive:
Пора выходить = It’s time to leave / We should be leaving now.

Why is выходить in the infinitive? Who is supposed to leave?

After пора, Russian normally uses the infinitive to express what should happen. The subject is understood from context (here it’s clearly we, because the next clause says мы опоздаем).
So Пора выходить pragmatically means We should leave now.

Why is it выходить (imperfective) and not выйти (perfective)?

With пора, выходить (imperfective) is very common because it focuses on the start/necessity of the process (“time to be leaving”).
Пора выйти is also possible and sounds a bit more like time to leave (as a single action) / time to head out. In everyday speech, both occur, but Пора выходить is especially natural when you mean “we should get going.”

What does иначе mean, and is it the same as если не?

Иначе means otherwise. It implies: “If we don’t do the first thing, then the second (bad) thing will happen.”
It’s close in meaning to если не (“if not”), but иначе is a compact discourse marker:

  • Пора выходить, иначе мы опоздаем… = We should leave, otherwise we’ll be late…
    You could rephrase with если не: Если мы сейчас не выйдем, мы опоздаем… (more explicit/conditional).
Why is there a comma before иначе?

Because иначе introduces a second clause with its own subject and verb (мы опоздаем). Russian punctuation typically separates such clauses with a comma:
Пора выходить, иначе мы опоздаем…

Why does it say мы опоздаем (future perfective)? Isn’t that “we will be late”?

The verb опоздать is perfective; its future form опоздаем means we’ll end up being late / we’ll arrive late (a completed result).
Russian often uses a perfective verb like this to emphasize the outcome (the fact of lateness happening).

What’s the difference between опоздаем and something like будем опаздывать?
  • опоздаем (perfective) = we’ll be late (as a result), i.e., we miss the intended time.
  • будем опаздывать (imperfective) = we’ll be running late / we’ll be in the process of being late, focusing on the ongoing situation rather than the final result.
    In this sentence, the “result” meaning fits best, so опоздаем is the natural choice.
Why is it на приём? I thought на means “on.”

With events/activities in Russian, на often means to / for (like “to an appointment/meeting”).
на приём is a set collocation meaning to an appointment / for a consultation/reception. It takes the accusative: приём → на приём.

What does приём mean here? Could it mean “reception” like in an office?

Приём has several meanings, but with a doctor it very commonly means a medical appointment/consultation (the doctor “receives” patients).
So приём к врачу = an appointment with the doctor / a doctor’s appointment.

Why is it к врачу and not к врач or к врача?

The preposition к (to/toward someone) requires the dative case.
врач (nominative) → врачу (dative).
So к врачу = to the doctor / with the doctor (in the sense of “an appointment with the doctor”).

Why are both на приём and к врачу used together? Isn’t one enough?

They specify two different things:

  • на приём = the type of event (an appointment/consultation)
  • к врачу = with whom (the doctor)
    Together they sound very natural and complete: late for an appointment with the doctor. You can shorten it in context (e.g., опоздаем к врачу or опоздаем на приём), but the full version is common.
Does including мы change the meaning? Can it be dropped?

Russian often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person/number. You could say:
Пора выходить, иначе опоздаем на приём к врачу.
Including мы adds a bit of clarity/emphasis: we (not someone else) will be late. Both are correct.

What’s the natural stress/pronunciation point a learner should watch?

Key stress points:

  • пора́
  • выхо́дить
  • ина́че
  • опозда́ем
  • на приём (приём is stressed on -ём)
  • к врачу́ (врачу is stressed on the last syllable)