Breakdown of Где я могу мерить эту новую рубашку?
где
where / wherever
я
I
новый
new
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
мочь
to be able to
рубашка
the shirt
мерить
to try on
Questions & Answers about Где я могу мерить эту новую рубашку?
Why do the words эту новую рубашку have these specific endings?
They are the direct object of the verb мерить (to try on), so they must be in the accusative case. Рубашка (shirt) is a feminine noun, so its ending changes from -а to -у. The words describing it change to match: the demonstrative pronoun эта (this) becomes эту, and the adjective новая (new) becomes новую.
What is the dictionary form of эту?
The base dictionary form is этот (this - masculine). Because it modifies the feminine noun рубашка, it first becomes эта, and then changes to эту for the accusative case.
I thought мерить meant "to measure". Can it also mean "to try on"?
Yes! Literally, it does mean "to measure." However, when you are talking about clothes or shoes, it is the standard verb for "to try on" (since you are measuring how they fit your body). You will also often see its perfective equivalents, померить or примерить.
Why is the verb мерить left in the infinitive form?
It stays in the infinitive (dictionary) form because it follows the already-conjugated verb могу (I can). Just like in English ("I can try"), when you use a modal verb like "can", "want", or "must", the second verb isn't conjugated.
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