Можно оставить чемодан у входа?

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Breakdown of Можно оставить чемодан у входа?

• вход: the entrance
• чемодан: the suitcase
• оставить: to leave

Questions & Answers about Можно оставить чемодан у входа?

What does можно mean here, and who is the subject of the sentence?

Можно is an impersonal word meaning it’s allowed / it’s possible / one may.
There is no explicit subject like I/you/we. In English you naturally supply it: Can I…? / May I…? / Is it OK to…?
So Можно оставить чемодан…? literally is Is it allowed/possible to leave the suitcase…?

Why is the verb оставить in the infinitive?

After impersonal можно, Russian typically uses the infinitive to describe the action that is allowed/possible:

• Можно + infinitive → Можно оставить… = It’s OK to leave…
  This avoids choosing a person/tense, which is why it’s a common polite way to ask permission.

What’s the difference between оставить and оставлять in this kind of question?

Оставить is usually perfective: a single, completed action (leave it and it will be left there).
Оставлять is usually imperfective: the process/habit or a more general idea.

In permission questions:

• Можно оставить чемодан…? → Can I leave it (once, now)?
• Можно оставлять чемоданы…? → Is it allowed to leave suitcases (in general / repeatedly)?