Breakdown of На всякий случай мы купили новый датчик, как бы не начался пожар.
не
not
мы
we
новый
new
купить
to buy (perfective)
бы
would (conditional particle) / concessive particle
на
for (a purpose or goal)
случай
case, occasion
начаться
to start (perfective)
пожар
fire (destructive event)
всякий
any sort of
как бы не
lest (expressing a fear)
датчик
sensor
Questions & Answers about На всякий случай мы купили новый датчик, как бы не начался пожар.
Why does начался use the past tense here if the fire hasn't happened yet?
Does the не in как бы не mean the fire won't start?
No, it's the opposite. The phrase как бы не expresses a fear of an unwanted event happening. The не doesn't negate the possibility; instead, it expresses the speaker's desire that the event doesn't occur. It translates best to 'lest' or 'so that [X] doesn't happen'.
Why is the subject пожар at the very end of the sentence instead of before начался?
In Russian, placing the subject at the end often emphasizes it as the new or most important information. Furthermore, with verbs of appearing, beginning, or existing (like начаться), it is extremely natural and common to put the verb before the subject.
Why use the reflexive начался instead of just начал?
The non-reflexive начать (to start) requires a direct object, meaning someone or something is starting something else. Because the fire here is the subject starting on its own, you must use the reflexive form начаться, which takes the masculine past form начался to match пожар.
Is на всякий случай a fixed phrase?
Yes, it is a very common set phrase meaning 'just in case'. Literally translated, it means 'on every case' or 'for every occasion'. You will use this exact phrasing whenever you want to talk about taking precautions.
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