Breakdown of Нам часто приходится терпеть трудности на работе.
работа
work, job
часто
often
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
нам
to us
приходиться
to have to
терпеть
to endure
трудность
difficulty
Questions & Answers about Нам часто приходится терпеть трудности на работе.
Why does the sentence start with Нам instead of Мы?
This is an impersonal construction. In Russian, when you say someone "has to" do something because of circumstances, the person experiencing the necessity is put in the Dative case (нам means "to us"). The verb приходится acts independently, without a standard subject like "we" (мы).
What is the difference between приходится and надо or нужно?
Надо and нужно express a general need or obligation. Приходится specifically means "to have to do something due to external circumstances," often implying that you would rather not do it. Here, the nature of the job forces the workers to endure difficulties, making приходится the perfect fit.
Why is the imperfective verb терпеть used here instead of a perfective verb?
The trigger word here is часто (often). Because enduring these difficulties is a repeated, ongoing habit at work, we must use the imperfective aspect (терпеть). If it were a single, specific event we were forced to endure, you would use a perfective verb.
Is трудности in the Nominative case here?
No, it is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb терпеть (to endure what?). For feminine nouns ending in a soft sign like трудность, the Accusative plural ending looks exactly the same as the Nominative plural.
Why do we say на работе instead of в работе?
In Russian, certain activities, events, or abstract concepts take the preposition на instead of в to mean "at" or "in." Работа (work) is a classic exception that you must memorize. To say "at work," you always use на followed by the Prepositional case, giving us на работе.
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