Breakdown of Желающие могут пойти на экскурсию.
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
мочь
to be able to
пойти
to go (perfective, on foot) / to start (of rain, snow)
экскурсия
excursion
желающий
volunteer (willing person)
Questions & Answers about Желающие могут пойти на экскурсию.
Why is Желающие used as the subject when it ends like an adjective?
Желающие is a substantivized participle. This means it is a participle (a verb acting as an adjective) that is being used as a noun. Here, it stands in for "the people who wish" or "those wanting to." Even though it functions as a noun in the sentence, it still changes its endings exactly like a regular plural adjective.
What verb does Желающие come from, and why is it translated as "Those interested"?
It is the present active participle of желать (to wish or desire). While literally meaning "those who wish," it is the standard, natural way in Russian to refer to "those interested" or "volunteers" when making an announcement or offering an option to a group.
Why do we use the perfective verb пойти here instead of the imperfective идти?
After могут (can), we use the perfective пойти because the focus is on the completion of the action as a single event: setting off for and attending the excursion. Using the imperfective идти would sound like they have permission to be in the physical process of walking there, which isn't the point of the announcement.
Why is it на экскурсию rather than на экскурсии?
The verb пойти expresses motion toward a destination. When expressing motion or direction (answering "where to?"), the preposition на takes the accusative case, so экскурсия becomes экскурсию. If you were describing a static location (answering "where at?"), you would use the prepositional case на экскурсии.
Learn Желающие могут пойти на экскурсию 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