Breakdown of Секретарь должен сделать сорок копий для начальника.
сделать
to do (perfective) / to make (perfective)
секретарь
secretary
начальник
boss
должен
must, have to (должен, должна, должны)
для
for
сорок
forty
копия
copy
Questions & Answers about Секретарь должен сделать сорок копий для начальника.
Why do we use копий after сорок?
Сорок (forty) follows the rule for numbers 5 and up. When a quantity ends in 5-9 or 0, the noun being counted must be in the Genitive plural.
How is the Genitive plural копий formed?
The dictionary form is копия (copy), which is a feminine noun ending in -ия. To make it Genitive plural, the -ия changes to -ий.
Why is the masculine form должен (must) used here? Can a secretary be female?
The noun секретарь is grammatically masculine, even though the profession is often held by women. If the secretary is female, Russian speakers might use the feminine должна to match her actual gender, but using the masculine должен to match the job title is also perfectly correct and common.
Why use the perfective verb сделать instead of делать?
Сделать is used because the sentence focuses on the completion of a specific, one-time result (getting forty copies made). If the focus were on the ongoing process of copying, we would use the imperfective делать.
Why does начальник (boss) end in -а here?
The preposition для (for) always requires the Genitive case. To form the Genitive singular of a masculine noun ending in a consonant like начальник, you just add -а to the end.
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