Thread: What's the difference between зайди́ and войди́?

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What's the difference between зайди́ and войди́?

These are verbs of motion in the imperative forms, yes?

Note that they are both the prefixed perfective forms from the verb идти 'to go'. In situations like this, it helps to study prefixes and what they mean:

в(о)- meaning enter (motion into)

за -can represent the beginning of a repeated motion, a short visit to somebody or some place ("dropping in somewhere")

I hope this helps you understand the verbs in the context you are pulling them out of.

Oh, I didn't know both are prefixes of the same word at all! So that does help me understand it better.

So зайди́ is better for "зайди́ к туале́ту" whereas войди́ would do better in "войди́ к гостинице"...

Yes, I think I got it

Originally Posted by Valda

So зайди́ is better for "зайди́ к туале́ту" whereas войди́ would do better in "войди́ к гостинице"...

Yes, I think I got it

зайди в туалет
войди в гостиницу

Войди в гостиницу. You are indicating motion into, so from my understanding, it'd make more sense to use accusative.

"Зайди" - we can cay - зайди за дерево, зайди за угол - to move behind some object.

Originally Posted by dondublon

"Зайди" - we can cay - зайди за дерево, зайди за угол - to move behind some object.

Does this not require the instrumental? I read somewhere that за meaning 'behind' takes instrumental. Maybe I am wrong?

Originally Posted by krwright

Does this not require the instrumental? I read somewhere that за meaning 'behind' takes instrumental. Maybe I am wrong?

No, it uses accusative.

Originally Posted by krwright

Does this not require the instrumental? I read somewhere that за meaning 'behind' takes instrumental. Maybe I am wrong?

I don't understand exactly, but this phrases doesn't require anything.

Originally Posted by krwright

Does this not require the instrumental? I read somewhere that за meaning 'behind' takes instrumental. Maybe I am wrong?

Consider this a difference the same as between "in" and "into", "at" and "to". Just like "на" and "в" require Prepositional for expressing a location and Accusative for describing a detination of movement, "за" takes a noun in Accusative when you are describing motion with a goal to get behind something. When you are simply telling the position behind some object, it takes Instrumental. Even when the position is not itself static Eg. "За мной!" which can be used as "follow me" or "иди за мной"... doesn't matter much when used as a command).

Originally Posted by Shady_arc

Consider this a difference the same as between "in" and "into", "at" and "to". Just like "на" and "в" require Prepositional for expressing a location and Accusative for describing a detination of movement, "за" takes a noun in Accusative when you are describing motion with a goal to get behind something. When you are simply telling the position behind some object, it takes Instrumental. Even when the position is not itself static Eg. "За мной!" which can be used as "follow me" or "иди за мной"... doesn't matter much when used as a command).

This was the clarification I was looking for. Спасибо большое!

Originally Posted by Shady_arc

for describing a destination of movement, "за" takes a noun in Accusative when you are describing motion with a goal to get behind something. When you are simply telling the position behind some object, it takes Instrumental.

Yes -- and you can generalize this for certain other prepositions like над ("over") and под ("under") -- instrumental for static position, accusative for motion.

Also, note:

Он сидел за столом. (He was sitting at [lit. "behind"] the table.)
Он сел за стол. (He sat down at the table.)

The latter uses the accusative because "to sit down" implies movement, even though it's not one of the "Verbs Of Motion".

Also, Солнце can зайти only.
Солнце зашло - mean, Sun moved down, lower then horizon.

Some prepositions take more than one case, depending on circumstance. За uses instrumental when it describes a position, eg за дверью behind door etc. (вперёд, за, между, над, под take instrumental) Other times it takes accusative, спасибо за помощь is accusative. "Что это за пьяные выходки?" accusative from movie "Иван Васильевич..."

"Что это за пьяные выходки?" accusative from movie "Иван Васильевич..."

It's nominative.

Oh! I see, thanks.

Originally Posted by zxc

...

Not perfect but nice. Still I don't understand what is lower пере-.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Not perfect but nice. Still I don't understand what is lower пере-.

I think it's differentiating between moving across something and moving from one place to the other. I guess that's sort of the same thing, but it's the difference between:

Я перешел дорогу.
and
я переехал из России в США.

Originally Posted by zxc

(zxc posted a really cool diagram!)

I like it and will definitely recommend it on other blogs!

Though I disagree with how they illustrated the prefixes от- and под-. I'm not sure the arrows should actually be touching the big box.

I mean, if you say Я отъезжаю от Москвы, it means "I'm driving away from Moscow" (i.e., "I'm in a vehicle and I'm increasing the distance between myself and Moscow") -- but it doesn't necessarily imply that you began your journey in Moscow. (You could be driving from Рязань to the Black Sea coast, for instance.) Similarly, Я подъезжаю к Москве is "I'm approaching Moscow / Headed in the direction of Moscow", but doesn't necessarily mean that you're planning to go all the way to Moscow.

And I might have the arrow for до- "crashing into" a perpendicular line (because it means "all the way up to, but no farther" or "only as far as").