Question 1

Why does хотим look so different from the dictionary form хотеть?

Accepted Answer

Хотеть (to want) is a very irregular verb. In the singular forms (I, you, he/she), it uses an 'о' in the stem and 'e' endings, like я хочу (I want). But in the plural forms like мы (we), the stem changes to an 'и' and takes 'и' endings: мы хотим.

Question 2

Why is писать in its dictionary form here instead of changing to match мы?

Accepted Answer

Just like in English, when you put two verbs together like 'want to write', only the first verb (хотим) changes to match the subject (мы). The second verb (писать) stays in its basic dictionary form (the infinitive).

Question 3

The lesson is about irregular verbs like писать. What makes it irregular?

Accepted Answer

You don't see it in this sentence because it's in the infinitive, but when you change писать to match a subject, the с turns into a ш. For example, 'I write' is я пишу and 'we write' is мы пишем.

Question 4

Why do we use по-русски with a hyphen instead of the word русский?

Accepted Answer

Русский is an adjective used to describe nouns, like a 'Russian city'. When you are talking about the language you write, speak, or understand, you must use the adverb form по-русски. The prefix по- and ending -и tell us how the action is done.

Мы хотим писать только по-русски.

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