Breakdown of Мы будем бороться, лишь бы продержаться сегодня.
мы
we
быть
to be
сегодня
today
бороться
to fight
лишь бы
if only / as long as
продержаться
to hold out
Questions & Answers about Мы будем бороться, лишь бы продержаться сегодня.
Why is продержаться in the infinitive after лишь бы?
When лишь бы means 'just to' or 'as long as', it sets a condition or minimum goal. Because the subject doing the fighting and the holding out is the same ('we'), the verb after лишь бы stays in the infinitive. If a different person were holding out, you would use the past tense instead.
How does the meaning of лишь бы here differ from a standalone 'if only' wish?
While лишь бы can start a sentence to express a desperate wish (like 'If only we survive!'), here it connects two clauses to show a minimal acceptable outcome or purpose. It translates closer to 'just to' or 'solely for the sake of', showing that holding out is the bare minimum goal of the fight.
Why use the imperfective будем бороться but the perfective продержаться?
Будем бороться is imperfective because fighting is an ongoing process here. Продержаться is perfective because it focuses on a successful result: managing to last until the end of a specific time limit (today).
What does the prefix про- add to the verb держаться in продержаться?
The prefix про- often indicates that an action is maintained throughout a specific block of time. While держаться just means 'to hold on' or 'to resist', продержаться means 'to hold out for a certain duration' or 'to last', which pairs perfectly with the time word сегодня.
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