Word
Водитель сказал, что до центра можно доехать без пересадки за двадцать минут.
Meaning
The driver said that you can get to the center without changing in twenty minutes.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Водитель сказал, что до центра можно доехать без пересадки за двадцать минут.
минута
the minute
сказать
to say
что
that
можно
can
Questions & Answers about Водитель сказал, что до центра можно доехать без пересадки за двадцать минут.
Why is it до центра, and why is центра in the genitive?
The preposition до normally requires the genitive case.
So:
- центр = the center
- до центра = to the center / as far as the center
This is a very common pattern:
- до дома = to home / as far as the house
- до вокзала = to the station
- до конца = to the end
In this sentence, до центра means reaching the city center as a destination.
Why is the verb доехать used here instead of ехать?
Доехать is a perfective verb that focuses on successfully reaching a destination.
Compare:
- ехать = to be going / to go by transport
- доехать = to get there / to reach by transport
Because the sentence is about whether it is possible to reach the center, Russian uses доехать.
So:
- можно ехать would sound more like it is possible to be going / to travel
- можно доехать means it is possible to get there
That makes доехать the natural choice here.
What does literally mean?