Breakdown of Он уехал надолго, может быть на год.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
год
year
может быть
maybe, perhaps
уезжать
to leave (by vehicle)
надолго
for a long time (ahead)
Questions & Answers about Он уехал надолго, может быть на год.
Why is the word надолго used here instead of just долго?
долго describes how long an action itself takes, like driving or waiting. надолго describes how long the result of an action will last. Since he left and intends to stay away for a long time, we use надолго.
Why do we need the preposition на in на год?
In Russian, when you state the intended duration of a result, such as how long someone plans to be away, you use the preposition на followed by the Accusative case. This perfectly matches the logic of надолго earlier in the sentence.
How do we know from уехал that he didn't leave on foot?
The verb уехал is built from a verb of motion that means going by transport, combined with the prefix у- which means 'away'. If he had left on foot, the sentence would use ушёл.
Does the phrase может быть change depending on who we are talking about?
No, может быть is a fixed phrase meaning 'maybe' or 'perhaps'. It literally translates to 'it can be' and always stays in this exact form regardless of the subject.
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