Breakdown of Бывает по-разному, но чудо не случится.
не
not
но
but
случиться
to happen
бывать
to occur / to visit
чудо
miracle
по-разному
differently
Questions & Answers about Бывает по-разному, но чудо не случится.
Why is бывает used without a subject here?
In this sentence, бывает is used impersonally to mean things happen or it happens. Because бывать carries the meaning of something occurring regularly or generally, starting a clause with just бывает is a very common way to say sometimes it happens or things tend to go a certain way.
How is the word по-разному formed?
Why do we use the imperfective бывает but the perfective случится if both translate to forms of happen?
This perfectly shows how Russian verb aspects work! Бывает is imperfective because it describes a general, ongoing truth or habitual situation (things generally happen in various ways). Случится, on the other hand, is perfective and refers to a specific, single result in the future (this specific miracle is not going to occur).
What is the nuance between бывать and случаться in this sentence?
While both can translate to happen, бывать describes how things tend to be or regular occurrences. Случаться (and its perfective form случиться, used here) usually refers to a distinct incident or sudden event taking place. The sentence contrasts the variable nature of everyday life (бывает) with the fact that a sudden, magical event is not going to take place (не случится).
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