Breakdown of Нам нужно закончить отгрузку к обеду.
нам
to us
нужно
it is necessary
обед
lunch
закончить
to finish (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Нам нужно закончить отгрузку к обеду.
Why is "by lunchtime" translated using the preposition к?
The preposition к followed by the Dative case is used to express a deadline, meaning "by" a certain time. Here, the masculine noun обед (lunch) takes the Dative ending -у to become к обеду.
Why do we use the perfective verb закончить here instead of the imperfective заканчивать?
Because there is a strict deadline (к обеду), the focus is on the completed result of the action, not the process. Perfective verbs are the natural choice when you need to have something successfully finished by a specific time.
Why does the sentence start with Нам instead of Мы?
The word нужно (need / it is necessary) requires the person who needs something to be in the Dative case. So, the phrase "we need" is expressed literally as "to us it is necessary," turning Мы into Нам.
What case is отгрузку and why?
It is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb закончить (to finish). The dictionary form is the feminine noun отгрузка (shipment), and its -а ending changes to -у in the Accusative.