Мы идём по тропинке, пока не увидим озеро.

We are walking along the path until we see the lake.

Breakdown of Мы идём по тропинке, пока не увидим озеро.

• мы: we
• по: along
• тропинка: the path
• озеро: the lake
• увидеть: to see
• идти: to walk/go
• пока не: before

Questions & Answers about Мы идём по тропинке, пока не увидим озеро.

Why is it идём and not ходим?

Идём is the 1st person plural of идти (one-direction movement) and fits a single, concrete trip: we’re going/walking (right now / on this occasion).
Ходим is from ходить (multi-direction / habitual) and would sound like we (generally/regularly) walk along the path, not one specific walk to a goal.

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What case is по тропинке, and why?

After по meaning along / on (a route), Russian commonly uses the dative case.
So тропинка → dative singular тропинке: по тропинке = along the path/trail.

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Does по тропинке mean “on the path” or “along the path”?

In this context it’s best understood as along the path / following the path. It can often be translated as on the path in English, but the Russian image is “moving along it as a route.”

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Why is there a comma before пока?

Because пока не увидим озеро is a subordinate clause (a dependent time clause). In Russian, dependent clauses are typically separated with a comma:
Мы идём по тропинке, пока не увидим озеро.

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Why does Russian use пока не (with не) if the meaning is “until we see the lake”?

Пока не + verb is a standard Russian pattern meaning until (something happens). The не here is part of the construction; it doesn’t translate as a simple “not” in English.
Literally it’s like: we’re walking… while we still haven’t seen the lake (yet) → until we see the lake.

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Why is it увидим (future) and not something like “present” to match English “until we see”?

English uses present in time clauses about the future (until we see), but Russian normally uses the form that matches the real time reference. Seeing the lake happens in the future relative to “now,” so Russian uses future: увидим.

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Why is увидим perfective, and what would imperfective sound like?

Увидим is from увидеть (perfective) and focuses on a single completed event: catch sight of / finally see. That’s exactly what “until we see (it)” implies—reaching the moment of seeing.
An imperfective option like пока не видим озеро would usually mean while we don’t see the lake (at the moment) and is less natural for “until we see it.”

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What tense is идём here—present or future?

Formally идём is present tense, but Russian present can describe:

• something happening right now (we’re walking), or
• an arranged/near-future action (we’re going (soon)). With пока не увидим озеро, it most naturally reads as we’re walking (now) until we see the lake.

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Can I drop Мы?

Yes. Russian often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the person/number.
Идём по тропинке, пока не увидим озеро. is natural, especially in conversation or narrative.

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How do I pronounce the tricky parts (especially ё)?

• идём: the ё is always stressed and pronounced yo → roughly ee-DYOM
• уви́дим: stress on the second и → oo-VEE-deem
• тропи́нке: stress on и → tra-PEEN-ke
• о́зеро: stress on the first о → O-zi-ra