Breakdown of Эта гора выше холма, но мы дойдём до вершины.
мы
we
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
высокий
tall / high (of a level or amount)
но
but
гора
mountain
до
as far as, up to
вершина
peak
дойти
to reach (on foot, pf)
холм
hill
Questions & Answers about Эта гора выше холма, но мы дойдём до вершины.
Why do we use дойдём here instead of just пойдём or идём?
The prefix до- adds the meaning of reaching a specific destination, boundary, or limit. While пойдём means we will set off and идём means we are going, дойдём specifically means we will manage to get all the way to the peak.
Why is the preposition до used right after a verb that already starts with до-?
In Russian, it is very common for prefixed verbs of motion to be paired with a matching preposition to introduce the destination. The verb дойти (to reach) pairs with the preposition до (up to / as far as), which requires the genitive case, giving us до вершины.
Why is холм (hill) in the genitive case (холма) here?
It is used for comparison. After a short comparative adjective like выше (taller or higher), you can either use чем (than) plus the nominative case (чем холм), or simply put the second object in the genitive case (холма) without any extra words.
Дойдём looks like a present tense verb. Why is it translated as future tense?
Дойти is a perfective verb, meaning it focuses on the successful completion of an action. In Russian, perfective verbs do not have an ongoing present tense. When you conjugate them using standard endings, like the мы ending -ём, it automatically creates the future tense meaning we will reach.
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