Breakdown of Мы перевели аванс за неделю до доставки.
мы
we
неделя
week
перевести
to transfer (perfective)
доставка
delivery
до
before, until
за ... до
before (as in "an hour before the flight")
аванс
advance payment
Questions & Answers about Мы перевели аванс за неделю до доставки.
Why do we need both за and до to say 'a week before'?
To express how much time elapsed before an event, Russian uses a specific sandwich structure: за + [time amount] + до + [the event]. You cannot just translate 'a week before' word-for-word; you must use this за ... до ... frame.
How do the cases work for неделю and доставки in this structure?
The amount of time must be in the Accusative case, so the feminine noun неделя (week) becomes неделю after за. The event itself must be in the Genitive case, so доставка (delivery) becomes доставки after до.
I thought перевели meant 'translated'. Why does it mean 'transferred' here?
You likely first learned the verb переводить / перевести as 'to translate' (a language or text). However, it is also the standard verb for transferring money or funds. Because the object here is аванс (advance payment), the meaning naturally shifts to 'transferred'.
Why is the perfective verb перевели used here instead of the imperfective переводили?
Перевели is perfective because it describes a single, successfully completed action. The transfer of the advance payment was a one-time event that achieved its result before the delivery happened.
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