Today's sentence: use of imperfect verb by mbrainerd  4. Feb 2011
"До встречи", - сказал он. "Я должен уходить."
Normally nuzhno and dolzhno take the perfective: nuzhno sdelat', dolzhen skazat', etc. If the action is required, it usually must be completed.
But here the imperfective softens (I must be going) and also distinguishes this use from other phrases: dolzhen uyti could mean 'I must retire'. | dolzhen ukhodit', cont. by mbrainerd 4. Feb 2011
'dolzhen uyti' wd imply leaving permanently. 'dolzhen ukhodit' implies that leaving is temporary, to be repeated. |
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