Breakdown of Сначала мы дойдём до холма, а потом до скалы.
а
and (contrastive)
мы
we
сначала
first
потом
then
до
as far as, up to
дойти
to reach (on foot, pf)
скала
cliff
холм
hill
Questions & Answers about Сначала мы дойдём до холма, а потом до скалы.
How does the prefix до- change the meaning of the verb of motion here?
The prefix до- combined with the preposition до means "to reach" or "to get as far as" a specific boundary or destination. Instead of just walking, дойдём до холма means we will successfully complete the walk up to the hill.
Why is дойдём translated as "will reach" if it looks like a present tense conjugation?
The verb дойти is perfective, meaning it focuses on the completion or result of an action. In Russian, when you conjugate a perfective verb, it automatically forms the future tense. So, мы дойдём means "we will reach".
Why do the words холм (hill) and скала (cliff) change to холма and скалы?
The preposition до always requires the Genitive case. For the masculine word холм, we add -а to make холма. For the feminine word скала, the -а changes to -ы to make скалы.
Why is the conjunction а used in а потом instead of и?
While и means "and" for simple additions, а is used here to show a shift in focus to the next step in the sequence. The combination а потом is a very common fixed phrase for sequencing events, smoothly translating as "and then."
Learn Сначала мы дойдём до холма, а потом до скалы 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