Breakdown of Я постараюсь прийти раньше.
я
I
рано
early
прийти
to arrive (on foot, pf)
постараться
to try, to make an effort (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Я постараюсь прийти раньше.
The current lesson is about using чтобы for "to" or "in order to". Why isn't there a чтобы before прийти?
We only use чтобы to show purpose (like saying "in order to"). Here, прийти (to come) is just the direct object of the verb постараюсь (I will try). When verbs like "try", "want", or "can" are followed directly by the action you are trying/wanting/able to do, you just use the infinitive without чтобы.
Why does постараюсь mean "I will try" even though it doesn't use the future helper word буду?
Постараться is a perfective verb, which means it focuses on the completion or result of an action. In Russian, when you conjugate a perfective verb with present-tense endings (here, -юсь), it automatically becomes the future tense. We only use буду with imperfective verbs.
Why use прийти instead of the basic verb идти (to go)?
Идти refers to the general process of going on foot. Adding the prefix при- changes the focus to arriving at a destination, so прийти specifically means "to arrive" or "to come" on foot. Also, notice the tricky spelling change: the д from идти drops out and a й appears!
Is раньше just a different form of рано (early)?
Yes! Раньше is the comparative form of the adverb рано, meaning "earlier". Many common short Russian adverbs have a special one-word comparative form ending in -е or -ше instead of using a separate word for "more".
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