Learn Russian: Завтра мама должна стирать бельё.

Завтра мама должна стирать бельё.

Mom has to do the laundry tomorrow.

Breakdown of Завтра мама должна стирать бельё.

must, have to (должен, должна, должны)

стирать

to wash clothes

Questions & Answers about Завтра мама должна стирать бельё.

Why do we use должна here instead of должен?

The word for "must" or "has to" acts like a short adjective in Russian, meaning it changes its ending to match the gender and number of the subject. Since the subject мама is feminine, the masculine base form должен changes to the feminine form должна.

Why is the verb стирать in the infinitive form?

Whenever you express obligation using должен or должна, the main action verb that follows it must be in the infinitive (the dictionary form). This is just like in English, where we say "has to wash" instead of "has washes".

Could I use стирать to say Mom has to wash the car or the dishes?

No, стирать is specifically used for washing clothes, fabrics, and linens (it can also mean "to erase"). If you want to talk about washing a car, the dishes, or your hands, you would use a different verb: мыть.

What case is the word бельё in?

It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object (the thing receiving the action of being washed). Since бельё (linen/laundry) is a neuter inanimate noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its dictionary form.

Since the sentence happens завтра (tomorrow), shouldn't the sentence use a future tense?