Впрочем, если дождь закончится, мы всё-таки пойдём в парк.

Breakdown of Впрочем, если дождь закончится, мы всё-таки пойдём в парк.

в
to
парк
the park
пойти
to go
если
if
мы
we
дождь
the rain
всё-таки
still
закончиться
to stop
впрочем
however

Questions & Answers about Впрочем, если дождь закончится, мы всё-таки пойдём в парк.

What does впрочем mean here?

Впрочем is a discourse word meaning something like however, though, anyway, or on the other hand, depending on context.

In this sentence, it adds a slight sense of reconsideration or soft correction, as if the speaker is saying:

  • Still / however, if the rain stops, we’ll go to the park after all.

It often appears at the beginning of a sentence and helps connect the new statement to something said before.


Why is there a comma after Впрочем?

Because впрочем is being used as a parenthetical linking word, and Russian often separates such words with a comma.

So:

  • Впрочем, ... = However, ...

This is very common with words like впрочем, однако, например, конечно, depending on how they are used.


Why does Russian use закончится in the если clause? In English we usually say if the rain stops, not if the rain will stop.

This is an important difference between English and Russian.

In Russian, after если (if), you normally use the tense that actually matches the meaning. So if the action is in the future, Russian often uses the future:

  • если дождь закончится = if the rain stops / if the rain has stopped

English usually avoids will after if, but Russian does not work that way.

So this is normal Russian:

  • Если он придёт, мы начнём. = If he comes, we’ll begin.
  • Если дождь закончится, мы пойдём в парк.

Why is закончится perfective?

Because the speaker is talking about a single completed event: the rain coming to an end.

Закончиться is a perfective verb, so закончится means will end / will finish as a completed whole.

That fits the meaning here:

  • first, the rain ends
  • then, we go to the park

If you used an imperfective form, it would not sound as natural here, because the condition depends on the rain being finished.


What is the basic form of закончится?

The infinitive is закончиться.

Here is the breakdown:

  • закончиться = to end, to come to an end
  • закончится = will end (3rd person singular future)

Why 3rd person singular? Because the subject is дождь (rain), which is singular:

  • дождь закончится = the rain will end

Why is it пойдём, not идём?

Because пойти is the perfective verb, and here it means we will go as a single future action.

  • идти = to be going, to go on foot, ongoing movement
  • пойти = to set off / to go, viewed as a complete action

So:

  • мы пойдём в парк = we’ll go to the park
  • мы идём в парк usually means we are going to the park / we’re on our way to the park

In this sentence, the decision or future event is what matters, so пойдём is the natural choice.


What does всё-таки mean?

Всё-таки is a very common particle/expression meaning something like:

  • after all
  • nevertheless
  • still
  • all the same
  • in the end

Here it suggests that going to the park may have been doubtful because of the rain, but the speaker says they will go if the condition is met.

So the feeling is:

  • we’ll go to the park after all
  • we’ll still go to the park

It adds emotional nuance rather than basic factual meaning.


Where does всё-таки go in the sentence? Can it move?

Yes, it can move, although the emphasis may change slightly.

Original:

  • ...мы всё-таки пойдём в парк.

You could also hear:

  • ...мы пойдём всё-таки в парк.
  • ...всё-таки мы пойдём в парк.

The original version is very natural. Putting всё-таки before the verb often gives a smooth, neutral emphasis: we will after all go.

Russian word order is flexible, but not random: moving всё-таки changes what feels emphasized.


Why is it в парк, not в парке?

Because в парк expresses motion to the park.

Russian uses:

So:

  • в парк = to the park
  • в парке = in the park

Compare:

  • Мы пойдём в парк. = We’ll go to the park.
  • Мы гуляем в парке. = We are walking in the park.

Why is there a comma after закончится?

Because если дождь закончится is a subordinate clause introduced by если (if).

Russian separates this clause from the main clause with a comma:

  • Если дождь закончится, мы пойдём в парк.

The same happens even if the main clause comes first:

  • Мы пойдём в парк, если дождь закончится.

So the comma is required here.


Can the word order be changed to Мы всё-таки пойдём в парк, если дождь закончится?

Yes, absolutely.

Both are natural:

  • Впрочем, если дождь закончится, мы всё-таки пойдём в парк.
  • Впрочем, мы всё-таки пойдём в парк, если дождь закончится.

The difference is mainly in focus:

  • starting with если дождь закончится emphasizes the condition first
  • putting it at the end makes the statement we’ll go to the park after all come first, with the condition added afterward

Both are correct.


Is дождь закончится the only way to say this? Could Russian also say дождь кончится?

Yes, дождь кончится is also possible.

  • закончится
  • кончится

Both can mean will end / will stop here.

Закончится often sounds a little more neutral or slightly more formal, while кончится can sound a bit more conversational in some contexts. In this sentence, either works.

Learners should know that Russian often has near-synonymous verbs like this.


How should I pronounce всё-таки and закончится?

A few useful pronunciation notes:

  • всё contains ё, which is pronounced like yo
  • so всё-таки sounds roughly like vsyo-ta-ki

Also:

  • закончится is pronounced with -тся at the end, which sounds roughly like -tsa
  • so it sounds approximately like za-KON-chi-tsa

And:

  • дождь is a tricky word for learners; the final consonants are reduced in pronunciation, so it may not sound exactly how it looks

A rough full pronunciation guide:

  • Впрочем, если дождь закончится, мы всё-таки пойдём в парк.
  • FPRO-chem, YES-li dosht za-KON-chi-tsa, my VSYO-ta-ki pa-DYOM f park

That is only approximate, but it helps with the main stress patterns.

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