Question 1

The lesson is about чтобы + infinitive, but here we see чтобы + past tense (был). Why?

Accepted Answer

When the person doing the main action is different from the subject in the чтобы part, you cannot use the infinitive. Here, you are making the effort (постарайся), but lunch (обед) is the thing that needs to be ready. Because the subjects are different, Russian uses чтобы followed by a past tense verb (был) to say 'so that lunch is ready'.

Question 2

Does the past tense word был mean the lunch was already ready in the past?

Accepted Answer

Not in this case! When used with чтобы to express a purpose or a wish, the past tense verb does not actually refer to the past. It creates a hypothetical situation, describing something you want to happen. Even though был normally means 'was', here it refers to a desired future result: that lunch will be ready.

Question 3

Why use постарайся instead of попробуй for 'try'?

Accepted Answer

The verb постараться means 'to try' in the sense of making a real effort to achieve a goal. Попробовать means 'to try' as in testing something out, like tasting a new food or testing a tool. Since this sentence asks someone to put in the effort to finish a task, постарайся is the correct choice.

Question 4

Why is готов used instead of the full adjective готовый?

Accepted Answer

Готов is a short-form adjective. Russian often uses short-form adjectives to describe a temporary state, a condition, or a result. Since the lunch is reaching the temporary state of being ready, the short form is much more natural here. You will frequently see short forms for words like готов (ready), прав (right), and занят (busy).

Постарайся, чтобы обед был готов.

Breakdown of Постарайся, чтобы обед был готов.

Questions & Answers about Постарайся, чтобы обед был готов.

Learn Постарайся, чтобы обед был готов and more in Russian