Questions & Answers about Мы пообедали рано.
Why does the verb пообедали end in -ли?
In Russian, past tense verbs change based on gender and number, not the person. Because the subject here is мы (we), which is plural, the verb takes the plural past tense ending -ли. To form it, you take the dictionary form пообедать (to have lunch), remove the -ть at the end, and add -ли.
I previously learned the verb обедать for 'to have lunch'. Why is there a по- at the beginning of this verb?
пообедали comes from пообедать. The prefix по- makes the verb what is called 'perfective,' meaning the action was completely finished. By using пообедали in the past tense, the speaker is emphasizing that the act of eating lunch is entirely done.
Why does рано end in -о?
рано is an adverb meaning 'early.' Adverbs describe how or when an action happens (in this case, when we had lunch). Unlike adjectives, which change endings to match the gender of a noun, adverbs in Russian typically end in -о and never change their form.
Could I put рано before the verb, like Мы рано пообедали?
Yes! Russian word order is quite flexible. Мы рано пообедали is completely natural and means the exact same thing. Putting рано at the very end of the sentence just puts a tiny bit more spoken emphasis on the fact that it was early.
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