Breakdown of Молодая мама справляется одна.
мама
mom
молодой
young
один
alone
справляться
to cope / to manage (deal with a task or problem)
Questions & Answers about Молодая мама справляется одна.
Why does 'alone' translate to одна here instead of an adverb?
In Russian, there isn't a single fixed adverb for 'alone'. Instead, you use the word for 'one' (один), which acts like an adjective and must agree with the person you are talking about. Because мама is a feminine noun in the nominative case, we use the feminine form одна.
Why does the verb справляется have a reflexive -ся ending?
The verb справляться (to cope / to manage) is a reflexive verb, which is why it takes the -ся ending (written here as -ется for 'she copes'). It is important to include it because the non-reflexive verb справлять means something completely different: 'to celebrate' (like a holiday) or 'to perform'.
Why is the imperfective verb справляется used in this sentence?
The imperfective aspect is used here to describe an ongoing state or a general habit: she usually or currently copes alone. If you wanted to say she managed to handle one specific, isolated challenge, you would use the perfective past tense справилась (she coped/managed) or the future справится (she will cope).
Does placing одна at the very end of the sentence change the meaning?
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