Breakdown of Эта дорога приводит к реке.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
река
river
дорога
road, way
приводить
to bring (someone), to lead to
Questions & Answers about Эта дорога приводит к реке.
Why do we use the preposition к here instead of в or на?
The preposition к (meaning "towards" or "up to") is used because the road leads up to the river's edge, but not inside it. If we used в реку, it would literally mean the road goes directly under the water! The preposition к always requires the Dative case, which is why река changes to реке.
What is the infinitive of приводит, and what type of verb is it?
The infinitive is приводить (to bring/lead). It is an imperfective verb created by adding the prefix при- (arrival) to the motion verb водить (to lead on foot). Unlike the -давать and -ставать verbs taught in this lesson, it doesn't drop a suffix. It conjugates as a standard Type II verb with a consonant mutation in the "I" form: я привожу, ты приводишь, он/она приводит.
Could I use the verb ведёт (from вести) instead of приводит here?
Yes! In fact, Эта дорога ведёт к реке is extremely common. Both translate to "leads" in English, but they have a slight difference in focus. Вести focuses on the physical direction the road is taking, while приводить emphasizes the destination or result (that following the road will successfully bring you to the river).
How else can I use the verb приводить?
Because it literally means "to bring on foot", you can use it when bringing a person somewhere, like a friend to a meeting. At a B1 level, you will also often see it used figuratively to mean "to result in" or "to lead to". For example, hard work might lead to success (приводить к успеху).
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