Questions & Answers about Осенью птицы улетают на юг.
Wait, this lesson is about the prefix от-. Why does this sentence use улетают instead of отлетают?
The prefix от- means moving away for a short distance or a short time (like stepping back from a tree). The prefix у- means leaving a place completely or going far away. Since the birds are migrating to a completely different region, улетают (they fly away) is the natural choice!
Is улетают imperfective or perfective?
It is imperfective. The sentence describes a habitual action that happens every single year (Осенью, meaning every autumn). The perfective form улетят would mean they will fly away just this one specific time.
Why is the word for autumn (осень) written as осенью here?
In Russian, to say 'in' a certain season or time of day, you often put the noun into the instrumental case without any preposition. So осень becomes осенью (in autumn).
Why do we use на юг instead of в юг for 'to the south'?
Compass directions (north, south, east, west) always pair with the preposition на. Because the birds are moving towards a destination, юг is in the accusative case. If they were already living in the south, you would use the prepositional case instead: на юге.
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