Breakdown of Я должен с вами попрощаться.
я
I
вы
you (plural or formal)
с
with (also со)
должен
must, have to
попрощаться
to say goodbye (pf)
Questions & Answers about Я должен с вами попрощаться.
Why does the Russian sentence use с вами (with you) instead of the dative case for 'to you'?
In Russian, the verb попрощаться (to say goodbye) requires the preposition с (with) followed by the instrumental case (вами). Instead of saying goodbye 'to' someone, Russian treats this action as parting 'with' them.
How would this sentence change if a woman were speaking?
The word должен (must) is a short-form adjective, meaning it changes its ending to match the gender of the subject. A female speaker would say: Я должна с вами попрощаться.
Is попрощаться a perfective or imperfective verb?
It is a perfective verb. You use it here because you are talking about a single, specific action of saying goodbye right before leaving. This makes it a very common verb to use right before the perfective departure verbs like уйти or уехать that you are currently learning!
What does the -ся ending on попрощаться mean here?
The -ся ending makes the verb reflexive. In Russian, saying goodbye is treated as a mutual action you do together with someone else, which is why it takes the reflexive ending and pairs with the preposition с (with).
Learn Я должен с вами попрощаться 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