Breakdown of Пассажиры всегда сходят с поезда на этой станции.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
всегда
always
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
поезд
train
станция
station
пассажир
passenger
с
off / down from (a surface)
сходить
to get off, go down (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Пассажиры всегда сходят с поезда на этой станции.
Why do we use the imperfective verb сходят here instead of the perfective сойдут?
The word всегда (always) tells us this is a repeated, habitual action. For recurring events, we always use the imperfective aspect (сходить). If the passengers were getting off the train just once, we would use the perfective сойти (they will get off: сойдут).
How does the prefix с- change the meaning of the base verb in сходят?
The prefix с- (or со-) adds the meaning of moving down from or off a surface. With vehicles like trains, buses, or boats, verbs of motion with с- translate to getting off or disembarking.
Why is the letter с used twice, both attached to сходят and right before поезда?
It is very common in Russian to repeat a verb's prefix as a preposition to connect the action to the noun. The prefix с- shows the type of motion (getting off), and the preposition с plus the Genitive case noun (поезда) tells us exactly what they are departing from.
Since you physically exit the inside of a train, why do we say с поезда instead of из поезда?
In Russian, the preposition you use to leave a place is the direct opposite of the one used to enter it. Because you get onto a train using на (на поезд), you must use its pair с to get off (с поезда). If you were getting out of a car, you would use из машины, because you enter a car using в.
Why is на этой станции in the Prepositional case? Isn't this a sentence about motion?
While getting off a train involves motion, the action itself is taking place at a specific location. Because it answers the question where? (где?) rather than to where? (куда?), we use the Prepositional case (на этой станции) instead of the Accusative.
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