Breakdown of Мы должны твёрдо отстаивать свою позицию.
мы
we
должен
must, have to (должен, должна, должны)
свой
one's own
позиция
position (stance, location)
твёрдо
firmly
отстаивать
to stand up for / to defend (opinions, rights)
Questions & Answers about Мы должны твёрдо отстаивать свою позицию.
Why is the imperfective отстаивать used here instead of the perfective отстоять?
You use the imperfective отстаивать here because defending a position is usually an ongoing, continuous process rather than a single, completed event. The speaker is talking about taking a stance and maintaining it over time.
Why does the sentence use свою instead of нашу for "our"?
Whenever the object belongs to the subject of the sentence (here, мы), Russian heavily prefers the reflexive possessive pronoun свой. Using нашу isn't strictly wrong and you will sometimes hear it, but свою is the most natural way to emphasize that it is "our own" position in this context.
How does the verb отстаивать literally break down to mean "stand up for"?
It is built on the root стоять (to stand) combined with the prefix от- (which can indicate repelling, pushing back, or defending). Together, отстаивать gives the vivid image of standing your ground and pushing back against opposition.
The current lesson is about concessive particles. How would I add всё-таки (nevertheless / all the same) to this sentence?
You would typically place it right after the subject or before the main verb to emphasize your resolve despite opposition. For example, Мы всё-таки должны твёрдо отстаивать свою позицию means "We must nevertheless firmly stand up for our position" (implying someone else might be pressuring us to give up or compromise).
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