Breakdown of Босс сказал, что мы можем идти домой.
мы
we
идти
to go (on foot) / to proceed, go (of a process)
домой
home
сказать
to tell, to say
мочь
to be able to
босс
boss
Questions & Answers about Босс сказал, что мы можем идти домой.
In English we might say 'The boss said we could go home.' Why does Russian use the present tense можем here?
In Russian reported speech, you keep the exact tense the speaker originally used. The boss actually said, 'You can go home' (Вы можете идти домой). So, the reported version keeps the present tense можем, even though the main verb сказал is in the past.
Can we drop the word что like we often drop 'that' in English?
No, in Russian you cannot drop что in this kind of sentence. While English allows 'The boss said we can go home,' Russian strictly requires the linking word что to connect the two parts of the sentence. Also, notice that a comma is mandatory before it.
Why use the unidirectional verb of motion идти instead of the multidirectional ходить?
Идти is used because they are making a single, specific trip in one direction. Since the speakers are talking about leaving to go straight home right now, they need идти. If they were talking about going home regularly every day, they would use ходить.
Why is the word for home домой instead of дома?
Домой means 'to home' or 'homewards' and is always used to show the destination of a movement. Дома means 'at home' and shows location without movement. Because they are traveling to a destination (идти), you must use the directional word домой.
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