Breakdown of Мы не можем позволить себе отпуск летом.
не
not
мы
we
мочь
to be able to
отпуск
vacation
летом
in summer
себя
oneself (себе: Dat/Prep)
позволить
to allow (perf.)
Questions & Answers about Мы не можем позволить себе отпуск летом.
Why does the sentence use себе instead of the word for "us" (нам)?
In Russian, when the action is directed back at the subject (here, Мы, meaning "we"), you use the reflexive pronoun. себе is the Dative case form of себя. Literally, this means "allow to ourselves." Using the regular pronoun нам here would be incorrect because the subject and the receiver of the action are the exact same people.
How does позволить себе translate to "afford"?
The verb позволить means "to allow." When you pair it with the Dative reflexive pronoun себе (to oneself), the phrase позволить себе literally means "to allow to oneself." This is the standard Russian expression for "to afford" something, whether you are talking about spending money or taking time off.
What case is отпуск in this sentence?
отпуск (vacation) is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object (the thing we cannot afford). It does not change its ending because it is a masculine, inanimate noun. For these types of nouns, the Accusative form looks exactly the same as the Nominative (dictionary) form.
Why does the sentence use летом instead of just лето?
To say that something happens "in" or "during" a season, Russian uses the Instrumental case form of that season's name. Therefore, the noun лето (summer) becomes летом to mean "in the summer."
Learn Мы не можем позволить себе отпуск летом and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free