Breakdown of Мы опаздываем из-за пробки.
мы
we
опаздывать
to be late
из-за
because of; from behind
пробка
traffic jam
Questions & Answers about Мы опаздываем из-за пробки.
Why do we use из-за here instead of потому что?
потому что means "because" and must be followed by a full clause with a subject and a verb (like "We are late because there is a traffic jam"). из-за means "because of" and is a preposition followed directly by a noun. It is especially used to point out negative causes or someone/something to blame—like a traffic jam making you late.
Why does the word for traffic jam change to пробки?
The preposition из-за requires the following noun to be in the Genitive case. The dictionary form is пробка (a feminine noun). Normally, feminine nouns ending in -а change to -ы in the Genitive, but because of the Russian spelling rule (never write ы after к), it becomes пробки.
Could we say мы опоздаем instead of мы опаздываем?
Yes, but it changes the meaning. опаздываем is the imperfective present tense, meaning "we are currently running late" (it's happening right now). If you use the perfective опоздаем, it shifts to the future tense, meaning "we will be late" (focusing on the final result of arriving after the deadline).
Does пробка literally mean "traffic"?
Not exactly! The general word for "traffic" (or movement) is движение. The word пробка literally means a "cork" or "plug" (like for a wine bottle or a sink). Russians use it as the everyday word for a "traffic jam" because the cars are all plugged up.