Breakdown of Мы хотим, чтобы государство подписало мирный договор.
мы
we
хотеть
to want
договор
contract / treaty
подписать
to sign
чтобы
in order to
государство
the state
мирный
peaceful
Questions & Answers about Мы хотим, чтобы государство подписало мирный договор.
Why is the verb подписало in the past tense when the English translation says 'to sign'?
This is the core rule of Russian subjunctive clauses. When you want someone else to do something (we want the state to act), you must use чтобы followed by the past tense of the verb, even if the action is in the future.
Could I just say 'Мы хотим государство подписать' to match the English 'We want the state to sign'?
No, Russian doesn't use the infinitive here. You only use the infinitive after хотеть if the subject is the same (e.g., Мы хотим подписать = We want to sign). Because we want a different subject (государство) to do it, you must start a new clause with чтобы and a past tense verb.
Why does подписало end in -о?
Because in this clause, the subject is государство (the state). Since it's a neuter noun, the past tense verb must take the neuter ending -о to match it.
What case is мирный договор in this sentence, and why didn't the endings change?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object being signed. However, since договор is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative (dictionary) form.
Why use the perfective verb подписало instead of the imperfective подписывало?
Signing a peace treaty is viewed here as a single, completed result. The perfective aspect emphasizes getting the treaty signed and finalized, rather than the ongoing process of negotiating and signing.
Learn Мы хотим, чтобы государство подписало мирный договор 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