Breakdown of Я опаздываю на работу.
я
I
работа
work, job
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
опаздывать
to be late
Questions & Answers about Я опаздываю на работу.
This lesson is about the past tense, but опаздываю is present tense. How do I change this sentence to say 'I was late for work'?
To make this past tense, take the dictionary form of the verb, опаздывать (to be late). Drop the -ть ending and add the past tense endings you are learning: -л if you are male (Я опаздывал на работу) or -ла if you are female (Я опаздывала на работу).
Why do we use the preposition на instead of в for going to work?
In Russian, most enclosed locations use в (in/to), but certain places, events, and activities use на (on/to) instead. Работа (work) is a very common exception that always pairs with на, so you say на работу (to work).
Why does the word for work (работа) end in -у here?
We are expressing a direction or destination (being late to work), which requires the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -а like работа, you change the -а to an -у, making it работу.
In English we often say 'I am running late.' Does опаздываю cover that meaning too?
Yes, it does! Russian does not have a separate continuous tense (like 'am running'). The single verb опаздываю translates to 'I am late,' 'I am running late,' or even 'I am continually late' depending on the context.
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