Breakdown of Там была солома, чтобы укрывать корни, а то они начнут гнить.
там
there
они
they
быть
to be
чтобы
in order to
начать
to begin (perfective)
корень
the root
а то
otherwise
укрывать
to cover
солома
straw
гнить
to rot
Questions & Answers about Там была солома, чтобы укрывать корни, а то они начнут гнить.
Why use the imperfective укрывать (to cover) here instead of the perfective укрыть?
When describing the general purpose or function of an object (the straw is meant for covering roots), Russian prefers the imperfective. The perfective укрыть would imply a specific, one-time action, like "in order to cover the roots right now."
Is а то a set phrase here?
Yes, а то is a very common conversational phrase meaning "otherwise" or "or else." You could also use the single word иначе (otherwise), which is also common but sounds just a bit more formal.
Why must гнить (to rot) be in the imperfective aspect?
It is the object of начнут (will start). In Russian grammar, phase verbs—verbs that express the beginning, continuation, or end of an action—must always be followed by an imperfective infinitive, no exceptions.
Why does the second clause use the future tense (начнут) when the first clause is in the past tense (была)?
The phrase а то introduces a hypothetical consequence. Just like in English, Russian jumps to the future tense here to describe what the inevitable result would be if the roots were left uncovered.
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