Breakdown of Нам надо найти убежище, лишь бы продержаться до утра.
мы
we
найти
to find
надо
must, need to
до
before, until
Questions & Answers about Нам надо найти убежище, лишь бы продержаться до утра.
Why does лишь бы take the infinitive продержаться here instead of the past tense?
When лишь бы expresses a strong desire or a minimum requirement ('just to...'), it takes the infinitive if the implied subject of the action remains the same. Since 'we' need the shelter and 'we' will hold out, the infinitive is used. If the subject changed ('We need a shelter so that they can hold out'), you would use the past tense: лишь бы они продержались.
How does лишь бы change the meaning compared to using чтобы (in order to)?
If you used чтобы продержаться, it would neutrally mean 'in order to hold out.' Using лишь бы adds urgency and limits the goal to a bare minimum. It translates closer to 'if only to hold out' or 'just as long as we hold out,' showing that surviving until morning is the only thing that matters right now.
Why do we need the reflexive ending -ся on продержаться?
The reflexive продержаться is intransitive and means 'to hold out' or 'to last' (in a difficult situation). The non-reflexive продержать requires a direct object and means 'to keep or hold [someone/something] for a specific time.' Since they aren't holding something else until morning, the reflexive form is required.
What case is убежище in here, and why does it look like its dictionary form?
It is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object being 'found' (найти). Because убежище (shelter) is a neuter inanimate noun, its Accusative form is identical to its Nominative (dictionary) form.