Breakdown of Мы осторожно подъезжаем к перекрёстку и светофору.
и
and
мы
we
осторожно
cautiously, with care
к
towards, to
подъезжать
to drive up (impf)
светофор
traffic light
перекрёсток
intersection
Questions & Answers about Мы осторожно подъезжаем к перекрёстку и светофору.
Why is there a hard sign (ъ) in подъезжаем?
The prefix под- ends in a hard consonant, and the root starts with the vowel е (which has a hidden 'y' sound). The hard sign acts as a separator so the consonant and vowel do not blend together. You pronounce it as two distinct parts: pod-YEZ-zha-yem.
Does this sentence mean we are walking or driving?
We are definitely in a vehicle. The verb подъезжаем uses the root for going by transport (ехать), unlike подходим, which you would use if you were approaching on foot. The prefix под- adds the meaning of 'coming up to' or 'approaching'.
Why do the words for intersection and traffic light end in -у here (перекрёстку and светофору)?
They are in the Dative case. When you approach a destination using a verb with the под- prefix, you must use the preposition к (towards or up to). The preposition к always forces the following nouns into the Dative case.
The dictionary word for intersection is перекрёсток. Why is there no о before the к in перекрёстку?
The noun перекрёсток contains a fleeting vowel. This is a common pattern in Russian where the last о or е in a word's base form drops out as soon as you add a grammatical ending.
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