Breakdown of Туристы часто спускаются с этих гор пешком.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
часто
often
пешком
on foot
турист
tourist
гора
mountain
спускаться
to descend, go down
с
off / down from (a surface)
Questions & Answers about Туристы часто спускаются с этих гор пешком.
Why use спускаются instead of a prefixed verb of motion like сходят?
While сходить means 'to step down' or 'get off' (like from a train or a porch), спускаться is the standard verb for descending from a significant height, like going down a mountain or a steep hill. It uses the prefix с- to indicate this downward motion.
The verb starts with the prefix с-, and then we see the preposition с. Do these always go together?
Yes, this is a very common pattern! When a verb uses the prefix с- to mean 'down from' or 'off of', it is almost always paired with the preposition с to introduce the starting point.
Why is the phrase с этих гор in the Genitive case?
The preposition с meaning 'from' or 'down from' always requires the Genitive case. Here, the plural words эти (these) and горы (mountains) become этих and гор in the Genitive plural.
Why is the verb imperfective (спускаются) here?
The word часто (often) tells us this is a repeated, habitual action. For actions that happen regularly, you must use the imperfective aspect.
What grammatical case is пешком?
Пешком is historically the Instrumental case of an old word for 'foot'. Today, it is simply treated as a fixed adverb meaning 'on foot', so you never have to change its ending.
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