Breakdown of Мы можем договориться насчёт сметы.
мы
we
мочь
to be able to
договориться
to come to an agreement / to arrange
насчёт
regarding, about
смета
estimate
Questions & Answers about Мы можем договориться насчёт сметы.
How does the preposition насчёт affect the noun here, and could I just use о (about) instead?
The preposition насчёт (regarding/concerning) always requires the Genitive case, which is why the nominative noun смета (estimate/budget) becomes сметы. While you could technically say о смете (о + Prepositional case), насчёт sounds slightly more formal and business-oriented, perfectly matching the context of negotiating a budget.
Is the preposition насчёт the same as writing на счёт (two words)?
No, they mean entirely different things! Written as a single word, насчёт is the preposition meaning "regarding" or "about." Written as two words, на счёт literally translates to "onto the account" (for example, transferring money на счёт - to a bank account).
Why use договориться for "to agree" in this sentence instead of согласиться?
Договориться specifically means to "reach an arrangement," "negotiate," or "come to terms" on something, like working out a budget. Согласиться means to agree with someone's opinion or simply say "yes" to a proposal, rather than mutually negotiating terms.
Why do we use the perfective verb договориться after можем rather than the imperfective договариваться?
Using the perfective договориться focuses on the successful completion of the action: successfully reaching the agreement. If you used the imperfective договариваться, the sentence would mean "We can negotiate" or "We can hold discussions," placing the focus purely on the ongoing process rather than securing the final result.
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