Breakdown of Чтобы добиться успеха, нужно годами заслуживать уважение.
год
year
нужно
it is necessary
чтобы
in order to
успех
success
Questions & Answers about Чтобы добиться успеха, нужно годами заслуживать уважение.
Why is успеха in the Genitive case instead of the Accusative?
The verb добиться (to achieve / to reach) strictly requires its object to be in the Genitive case. This is a common pattern for Russian verbs that involve reaching, seeking, or striving for an abstract goal.
Why is the word for "years" (годами) in the Instrumental case?
Using a time word in the plural Instrumental case is a special construction that means "for [time period] on end." Here, годами translates to "for years." You will frequently see this with other time words, like часами (for hours) or месяцами (for months).
Why do we use the imperfective verb заслуживать instead of the perfective заслужить?
The word годами (for years) dictates the aspect here. Because the action of deserving or earning respect is an ongoing, continuous process stretched out over a long period of time, you must use the imperfective aspect.
How does чтобы work at the beginning of the sentence?
When чтобы is followed directly by an infinitive (like добиться), it acts as a purpose clause meaning "in order to." You use the infinitive here because the implied person achieving the success is the same general "one" who needs to earn the respect.