Learn Russian: Ты уже должен уходить?

Ты уже должен уходить?

Do you already have to leave?

Breakdown of Ты уже должен уходить?

must, have to (должен, должна, должны)

уходить

to leave (on foot)

Questions & Answers about Ты уже должен уходить?

How does the prefix у- change the meaning of ходить?

The prefix у- indicates departure or moving away from a place. When you add it to ходить (to walk or go), it creates уходить, which means to leave or to go away (usually on foot, but often used generally for leaving a place).

Why use the imperfective verb уходить here instead of the perfective уйти?

Both are correct, but they feel slightly different. Using the imperfective уходить focuses on the action or schedule of leaving right now ('Is it time for you to be leaving?'). The perfective уйти would focus more heavily on the final result of being gone.

Why does the word for 'have to' (должен) end in a consonant here?

Должен behaves like a short adjective, meaning it must match the gender and number of the subject. Because it is должен (masculine form), we know the speaker is asking a man. If asking a woman, it would be 'Ты уже должна уходить?'.

Could I change the word order to 'Ты должен уже уходить?'?

Yes, Russian word order is very flexible. Placing уже (already) right before должен emphasizes the timing: 'Do you already have to leave?'. Moving it elsewhere changes the emphasis slightly, but the core meaning stays the same.