Breakdown of Подготовившись к сессии, студент пошёл гулять.
студент
student (m)
гулять
to walk
пойти
to go (perfective, on foot) / to start (of rain, snow)
к
towards, to
подготовиться
to prepare oneself
сессия
exam period
Questions & Answers about Подготовившись к сессии, студент пошёл гулять.
Why does the verbal adverb подготовившись end in -вшись instead of just -в?
Because it is formed from the reflexive verb подготовиться (to prepare oneself). For non-reflexive verbs, the perfective verbal adverb usually ends in -в, but for reflexive verbs ending in -ся or -сь, the ending becomes -вшись.
What does сессия mean in this context?
In Russian universities and colleges, сессия refers specifically to the exam period at the end of a semester. The student is preparing for their final exams, not just a regular daily study session.
Why is сессия written as сессии here?
The verb подготовиться (to prepare) requires the preposition к followed by the dative case to express what you are preparing for. Therefore, the feminine noun сессия changes to its dative form, сессии.
Is the comma after сессии required?
Yes. In Russian, a phrase that centers around a verbal adverb (like подготовившись) must always be separated from the main clause by commas, no matter where it is placed in the sentence.
Why did the author use пошёл instead of the imperfective шёл?
The prefix по- on a verb of motion like идти adds the meaning of setting off or starting a journey. Студент пошёл гулять means he finished his preparation and set off to go for a walk. Using шёл would mean he was already in the process of walking while preparing, which doesn't make logical sense here.
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