Breakdown of Давай устроим пикник, это замечательная идея!
это
this / it is
идея
idea
замечательный
wonderful, remarkable
давай
let's (informal)
устроить
to arrange, to throw (an event)
пикник
picnic
Questions & Answers about Давай устроим пикник, это замечательная идея!
Why is устроим in the future tense if the sentence says 'Let's have a picnic' right now?
When using давай or давайте to say 'Let's do something' with a perfective verb, Russian requires the first-person plural ('we') form of the future tense. Because устроить (to organize or arrange) is perfective, we use its future form устроим. If we were using an imperfective verb, we would just use the infinitive after давай.
Why do we use давай here instead of давайте?
Давай is the informal singular form, which tells us the speaker is talking to one person they know well (someone they address as ты). If the speaker were talking to a group of people, or to someone they address formally as вы, they would use давайте устроим instead.
Does устроить always mean 'to have'?
Not exactly. Устроить literally translates to 'to arrange', 'to organize', or 'to throw' (an event). While English speakers naturally say 'have a picnic' or 'have a party', Russian speakers 'organize' or 'throw' them (устроить пикник, устроить вечеринку).
Since идея is a feminine noun, why does the sentence use the neuter word это?
In this sentence, это functions as a fixed introductory word meaning 'this is' or 'that is'. When used as a dummy subject to introduce or equate things (as in 'That is a wonderful idea'), это never changes its form, regardless of the gender or number of the noun that follows.
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