Breakdown of Пешеходы идут вдоль забора, чтобы обойти грязь.
идти
to go (on foot) / to proceed, go (of a process)
забор
fence
чтобы
in order to
вдоль
along
Questions & Answers about Пешеходы идут вдоль забора, чтобы обойти грязь.
Why is обойти used here instead of a regular verb of motion?
The prefix об- (or обо- before certain letters) adds the meaning of moving around an obstacle or avoiding something. Combined with the root for walking on foot (-йти), обойти perfectly translates 'to walk around' or 'to bypass' the mud.
What case is грязь in, and why?
It is in the Accusative case, which is required by verbs with the об- prefix when they mean to go around or avoid an obstacle. Because грязь is an inanimate feminine noun ending in a soft sign, its Accusative form looks exactly the same as its Nominative form.
Why is the infinitive обойти used right after чтобы?
The word чтобы means 'in order to'. When the subject doing the action is the same in both parts of the sentence (the pedestrians are walking AND they are avoiding the mud), чтобы must be followed directly by an infinitive verb.
Why is the word for fence (забор) spelled as забора here?
The preposition вдоль (along) always requires the following noun to be in the Genitive case. Since забор is a masculine noun ending in a consonant, we add -а to make it Genitive.
Why do we use идут instead of ходят for 'are walking'?