Breakdown of Прежде чем идти в горы, нужно предусмотреть риски и принять меры предосторожности.
и
and
в
in / to (direction)
идти
to go (on foot) / to proceed, go (of a process)
нужно
it is necessary
гора
mountain
принять
to accept (pf) / to make (a decision)
прежде чем
before (doing something)
мера
measure
риск
the risk
предусмотреть
to foresee
предосторожность
precaution (f)
Questions & Answers about Прежде чем идти в горы, нужно предусмотреть риски и принять меры предосторожности.
Why is the verb идти in the infinitive after прежде чем? Don't we usually need a conjugated verb?
You use the infinitive after прежде чем when the subject of both parts of the sentence is the same. Because the main clause here is impersonal (нужно - "it is necessary"), the infinitive is used to express a general rule applying to anyone. If the subjects were different, you would need a conjugated verb in the past tense (for example, Прежде чем он ушёл... - Before he left...).
Going to the mountains is a round trip. Why does this sentence use the one-way verb of motion идти instead of the multi-directional ходить?
Using идти focuses on the specific moment of setting out or embarking on the journey. The sentence is basically saying "Before you head out into the mountains..." If you used ходить, it would sound more like "Before you make a habit of hiking in the mountains."
What is the literal breakdown of the verb предусмотреть (to anticipate)?
It is built from the prefix пред- (before/pre-), the prefix у- (which often adds a sense of successfully achieving a result), and the root смотреть (to look). So, it literally means "to look ahead" or "to foresee." Both предусмотреть and принять are in the perfective aspect here because you need to successfully complete these actions before your trip begins.
To say "take precautions", why does Russian use принять instead of взять?
In Russian, you do not physically "take" (взять) abstract measures; you "accept" or "adopt" them. The set phrase for "to take measures" is always принять меры. You will see this same verb used in other fixed expressions where English uses "take," such as принимать душ (to take a shower) or принимать лекарство (to take medicine).
Learn Прежде чем идти в горы, нужно предусмотреть риски и принять меры предосторожности and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free