Questions & Answers about Мы подошли к стойке регистрации за два часа до вылета.
Why is the verb подошли used here?
Подошли is the past tense plural form of подойти, a perfective verb meaning to come up to, to walk up to, or to approach.
In this sentence, it suggests that we reached the check-in counter and came up to it. It is not just general motion; it focuses on the moment of arriving at that specific place.
So the image is:
- we were moving,
- then we came up to the counter,
- that action was completed.
Because Russian often chooses very specific motion verbs, подошли is more precise than a simple went.
Why not use пришли instead of подошли?
Both are possible in some contexts, but they are not identical.
- пришли = arrived / came
- подошли = came up to / approached
So:
- Мы пришли в аэропорт... = We arrived at the airport...
- Мы подошли к стойке регистрации... = We walked up to the check-in counter...
With подошли, the important point is getting close to the counter itself. It sounds more natural if the speaker wants to describe the specific action at the airport, not just arrival in general.
What grammar form is подошли?