Если долго лежать на солнце без крема, можно обгореть, и тогда никакой загар не радует.

If you lie in the sun for a long time without cream, you can get sunburned, and then no tan is pleasant.

Breakdown of Если долго лежать на солнце без крема, можно обгореть, и тогда никакой загар не радует.

• и: and
• не: not
• если: if
• лежать: to lie

Questions & Answers about Если долго лежать на солнце без крема, можно обгореть, и тогда никакой загар не радует.

Why is лежать in the infinitive here instead of a form like лежишь or лежите?

This sentence uses an impersonal, general-condition pattern:

Если долго лежать на солнце без крема, можно обгореть.

It means something like If you lie in the sun for a long time without sunscreen, you can get sunburned, but in a more general one/people/you in general sense.

Russian often uses the infinitive this way when giving a general warning, rule, or observation. A version like Если долго лежишь... is possible too, but it sounds more directly addressed to you.

What exactly does можно mean here?

Можно is an impersonal word meaning it is possible, one can, or sometimes you can.

So:

можно обгореть = you can get sunburned / it’s possible to get sunburned

It does not mean permission here. It is about possibility/consequence, not allowed to.

Why is it обгореть and not обгорать?