Posts tagged with "russian verbs"

Let’s Unite and Learn Russian Grammar!

Posted by Natalie 4 Comments
Oct 21 2011

I am back, «дорогие читатели» [dear readers], ready to explain obscure points of Russian grammar to you. What have I been doing in the past weeks? Many things, all of which relate to school. I am writing «тезис» [a thesis] on a famous Soviet leader and just generally studying for exams (I just took three exams in a week-and-a-half span). Today, I am ready to teach you about a group of Russian verbs that are all translated into English as “to unite”. How do they differ? Read on! In the photo: the eighth party congress of «Единая Россия» [United Russia], Russia’s ruling party, from here.

In my Russian class, we have to report on the news every day («конечно, по-русски» [of course, in Russian]). Today I reported that «Евразийское экономическое сообщество» [the Eurasian Economic Community] discussed «присоединение Киргизии к таможенному союзу» [Kyrgyzstan's joining the customs union]. The word «присоединение» made me think. It comes from the verb «присоединяться/присоединиться», which is often translated as “to unite”. But so are the verbs «объединяться/объединиться» and «соединяться/соединиться». I have never been clear how to use these three verb pairs, so I said to my professor: «Существует ли разница между этими словами?» [Is there a difference between these words?] He answered: «Конечно» [Of course] and proceeded to explain.

The verb pair «объединяться/объединиться» refers to a few things (states, political parties, etc.) all coming together at once. So, in reference to that customs union Kyrgyzstan wants to join, you could say: «Россия, Белоруссия и Казахстан объединились» [Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan united]. Or like this strange headline from 23 August of this year says: «”Справедливая Россия” предложила КПРФ объединиться на выборах» [A Just Russia (a political party) has proposed to KPRF (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) that they unite in the elections].

Let’s say that A Just Russia did unite with the communists and that after this union, suddenly «Правое дело» [Right Cause] wanted to join, too. Then we would say that «Партия “Правое дело” хочет присоединиться к группе» [The party "Right Cause" wants to join the group]. If there is an already-existing union, then you use «присоединяться/присоединиться». It might make more sense to think about this verb pair as meaning “to join”.

The verb pair «соединяться/соединиться» simply means “to unite” and is the most neutral. When I search it on Google (Google can be a great language learning tool, my friends), I see it often used in relation with technology, such as: «Не могу соединиться с сервером» [I can't connect to the server].

Any comments about these verbs? Please leave them below!

How to Say “Default” in Russian

Posted by yelena 10 Comments
Jul 30 2011


Have you ever wished for a time machine? What would you use «машина времени» for if you did have it? The protagonists of Soviet «научная фантастика» [science fiction] were always using time machines for various noble deeds, such as dinosaur research or, say, trying to save «одно из семи чудес света» [one of the seven wonders of the world]. Such «наивные паиньки» [naïve goody two shoes] these idealistic heroes were!

That’s why I immediately fell in love with «Назад в будущее» [Back to the Future] and all its sequels. I mean, here were folks using a time machine for their private, practical goals. And while the goals weren’t always perfect or even very ethical, they were realistic and refreshing.

All this goes to say that if I were to have a time machine, I would had used it to find out «что день грядущий мне готовит» [what tomorrow holds for me] and place my bets accordingly.

Like I wouldn’t even worry about travelling «в далёкое будущее» [to the distant future]. Instead, if I were to get a hold of «машина времени» today, I’d go to «2 августа этого года» [August 2nd of this year].

That’s the day when we’ll know for sure whether the US will default on its foreign debt, an event that, if it happens, will have tremendous impact on economies around the world.

Now, before I go any further, this is not a blog about politics or economics. This is a post about Russia and all things Russian. So while I can’t change the big picture, I can at least «использовать эту возможность» [use the opportunity] to go over some vocabulary.

You might remember that Russia went through its own «дефолт» [default] back in 1998. That’s actually the year the word itself entered everyday Russian conversations. Another way to translate “default” is «отказ от уплаты долга» [refusal to pay off debt] or «нарушение обязательств по выплате долга» [breach of obligations on debt repayment].

Moving on to the verb “to default”, things get a bit muddier. Here’s an example: «российский дефолт был объявлен в августе 1998-го года» [Russia defaulted in August of 1998].

“To default” can be translated as «объявить дефолт» or «прекратить выплату долговых обязательств» [stop repayment of debt] or «отказаться от выплаты долга» [refuse to repay debt]. And that’s how «пресса» [print media] reports it. But on the Internet, in chat rooms and forums, a word «дефолтнуть» has started to appear, meaning “to send into a default”.

The verb «дефолтнуть» is pretty interesting mostly because it is formed with a suffix «-ну-». Lots of Russian verbs use this suffix, but they can be categorized into 2 very different groups.

In the first category are verbs such as «гибнуть» [to perish], «мокнуть» [to become wet], «крепнуть» [to gain strength], «мёрзнуть» [to get cold], «слепнуть» [to lose eyesight], «вянуть» [to wither]. These verbs have corresponding adjectives and in general indicate a process of undergoing some sort of change.

 

Adjective -ну- Verb Sentence
Гиблый Гибнуть Коралловые рифы гибнут по всему миру. [All around the world, coral riffs are dying.]
Мокрый Мокнуть Пустынные аллеи мокнут под дождём [Deserted avenues are getting wet in the rain]
Мёрзлый Мёрзнуть Если у тебя мёрзнут ноги, одень тёплые носки [If your feet are cold, put on warm socks]
Слепой Слепнуть Продолжайте это делать и вы будете слепнуть [Continue doing this and you will be going blind]
Вялый Вянуть Почему цветы вянут, если их не поливать [Why flowers wither without watering]

In the second category are the verbs such as «прыгнуть» [to jump], «отдохнуть» [to rest], «стукнуть» [to hit], «глянуть» [to look], «зевнуть» [to yawn]. These verbs are perfective, formed from other verbs, and denote non-recurring or instantaneous actions.

 

Verb -ну- Verb Sentence
Прыгать Прыгнуть Кот прыгнул и поймал кузнечика. [The cat jumped and caught a grasshopper]
Отдыхать Отдохнуть Вернусь из коммандировки и отдохну по полной программе [I’ll rest for real after I get back from a business trip]
Глядеть Глянуть Глянул я в зеркало, а на меня оттуда морда небритая таращится [I took a look in the mirror; an unshaven mug stared back at me]
Зевать Зевнуть Что будет если чихнуть, кашлянуть и зевнуть одновременно? [What happens if you sneeze, cough, and yawn all at once?]

Even though «дефолтнуть» is not formed from a verb, it does carry the sense of non-recurring action. It is also a transitive verb, so an object this verb acts on will be in the accusative case as in «Грецию могут дефолтнуть» [Greece might be sent into a default].

Here’s something else super-interesting and special about the suffix «-ну-». Every Russian elementary school student knows that “All Russian words have «корень» [a root]”. That’s the rule. Of course, «нет правил без исключений» [there are no rules without exceptions]. Same here – in the whole Russian language there is ONE word that doesn’t have a root. It only has a prefix and 2 suffixes. One of these suffixes is «-ну-». Can you name the word?

As for default, I don’t have much else to say, except to post a list of words that just might come in handy come August 2nd:

«экономический кризис» – economic crisis

«мировой финансовый кризис» – world financial crisis

«подрыв доверия» – erosion of credibility

«падение уровня жизни» – drop in the living standards

«потолок госдолга» also «планка госдолга» – government debt ceiling

«резкое падение» – sharp fall, collapse

«крах» – crash

As for the dream of a time machine, it looks like the classic said it all:

Что день грядущий мне готовит?

Его мой взор напрасно ловит,
В глубокой мгле таится он.
Нет нужды; прав судьбы закон.

 

[This day to come, what will it bring?

My eyes in vain seek out the thing

That’s veiled in deepest mystery.

No matter: a just fate awaits me.]

Prefixed Verbs of Motion: Some Example Sentences

Posted by Natalie 5 Comments
Jul 27 2011

This is the third post in a series about «глаголы движения с приставками» [prefixed verbs of motion]. If you have not read the previous two posts, you can do so here and here. In the photo: «Дон в Воронежской области» [the Don (a river) in Voronezh oblast].

A commenter asked for example sentences with prefixed verbs of motion. I am happy to say that I have found sentences for you. Some I found on the internet, and others are what I or my Russian-speaking friends would say.

  • «Все вышли во двор.» [Everyone went out to the courtyard.] Note how «во» is used because «двор» begins with two consonant sounds.
  • «Я прилетела в Москву сегодня утром.» [I arrived in Moscow this morning.] Since this is a single action, I used the perfective form of the verb.
  • «Завтра она улетит в/на Украину.» [Tomorrow she is leaving for Ukraine.] Ukraine can take «в» or «на». In general, I have noticed that Russians tend to use «на» and Ukrainians tend to use «в», but I do not know if this is a hard and fast rule.
  • «Солнце восходит в шесть часов.» [The sun rises at six o'clock.]
  • «Мы часто заходим к Ольге.» [We often drop in on Olga.]
  • «Дети переходят (через) улицу.» [The children are crossing the street.] Notice how the «через» is optional.
  • «Как пройти на Красную площадь?» [How do you get to Red Square?] This is an excellent question to ask if you are in Moscow, my friends.
  • «Я прошла мимо аптеки.» [I walked past the pharmacy.]
  • «Туристы дошли до Большого театра.» [The tourists walked up to the Bolshoi Theatre.]
  • «Анна увидела свою подругу, когда она выходила из машины.» [Anna saw her friend as she was getting out of a car.]
  • «Он стремительно подходил к половине.» [It rapidly approached the halfway point.] This is a quote from «Белая гвардия, написан Михаилом Булгаковым» [The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov]. It is talking about the month of December going by quickly, so perhaps a more poetic translation would be “Mid-month rapidly approached.” I like it because it uses a verb of motion in a more figurative sense (as opposed to these other sentences, which literally involve motion).
  • Я отвёз Сашу в аэропорт.» [I took Sasha to the airport.] With the verbs «нести», «вести», and «везти», the prefix «от» can add the meaning of taking something or someone from one place and leaving it in another.

Questions? Let me know in the comments!

Prefixed Verbs of Motion: Part 2

Posted by Natalie 4 Comments
Jul 20 2011

I was going to make this post about something fun, but that will have to wait until Friday. This is Part 2 of this post. Today, I will be writing about «глаголы движения с приставками» [prefixed verbs of motion]. Last time, we talked about the actual prefixes. Today, I will discuss how some verbs of motion change when prefixed, in addition to two prefixes that can function a bit differently from the others. In the photo: «трамвай в Москве» [a streetcar in Moscow], from here.

You already know from the last post that the verb «идти» changes when prefixed: it becomes «-йти», as in «прийти», «войти», «сойти», and so on. Three other verbs have changes when they have prefixes added.

  • «ездить» [to go by vehicle] becomes «-езжать»: «приезжать» [to arrive by vehicle], «подъезжать» [to approach by vehicle], «доезжать» [to go up to by vehicle]
  • «плавать» [to swim] becomes «-плывать»: «приплывать» [to arrive by swimming], «уплывать» [to swim away]
  • «бегать» [to run] has a stress change when conjugated with a prefix. Though it is «бегаю» [I run], it becomes «прибегаю» [I run (with an implied meaning of arrival)].

The prefix «с-» can mean movement down from. However, it also has another meaning when used with unprefixed multidirectional verbs of motion. It indicates quick motion somewhere and back. «Например» [For example], with the verb «ходить» [to go by foot], it combines to form «сходить». Note that this is a perfective verb. Some example sentences are: «Она сходила домой за деньгами» [She ran home for her money]. This implies that she went and is now back. «Он сходит в магазин.» [He will run to the store.] This implies that he will go there quickly and then come back.

The prefix «по-» has a similar function when combined with a unidrectional imperfective verb of motion. «Пойти» is a perfective verb that means to set off for a one-way trip. «Они пошли в библиотеку.» [They set off for the library.]

With all these verbs of motion, it is important to discuss modes of transportation. Use «на» + prepositional case to describe what means of transportation used to go somewhere, such as «Я ездила на машине» [I went by car].

I hope this clears up any confusion about prefixed verbs of motion. As always, if you have questions, please do not hesitate to comment.

Russian Verbs – Perfective and Imperfective Aspects – Part 2

Posted by yelena 16 Comments
Mar 30 2011

What can be better than a grammar posts on such a complicated and confusing subject as Russian verbal aspects! Two posts on Russian verbal aspects, back-to-back! Today Maria (see the picture) is talking about exceptions to the rules.

Russian grammar rules wouldn’t be rules if they were to have no exceptions. This is also true for perfective and imperfective verbs:

Some imperfective verbs can be used to describe reversed action. This is an action that was carried out, but afterwards everything returned to its initial state. In this case, perfective verbs, and not their imperfective counterparts, will be used to describe an action that is still ongoing (at the moment of speaking).

 Such verbal pairs include «брать – взять» [to take], «вставать – встать» [to stand up], «включать – включить» [to turn on], «отдавать – отдать» [to give], «открывать – открыть» [to open], «подниматься – подняться» [to get up], «приносить – принести» [to bring], «уходить – уйти» [to leave], «приходить – прийти» [to arrive], etc. 

  • «В комнате очень холодно. Зачем ты открывала окно?» [The room is very cold. Why did you open the window?] - Imperfective aspect of “opened” tells us that the window is now closed.
  • «В комнате очень холодно. Зачем ты открыла окно?» [The room is very cold. Why did you open the window?] – The use of perfective “opened” tells us that the window is still open.
  • «Приходил твой друг» [Your friend stopped by] – imperfective aspect means the friend came and left again.
  • «Пришёл твой друг» [Your friend stopped by] - perfective aspect here indicates that the friend came by and is still here.

Sometimes the choice of the aspect depends on whether you had any particular intentions and your companion – any particular expectations regarding the action you are describing.

  • «Ты прочитал книгу, которую я тебе дал? – Да, прочитал» [Have you read the book I gave you? -Yes, I have read it.] – you were expected to read it.
  • «Ты читал «Тёмные аллеи» Бунина? – Нет, не читал» [Have you read Bunin’s “Dark Alleys”? (= have you ever read it?) - No, I haven’t read it.]
  • «Ты съездил в Москву? – Да, съездил» [Did you go to Moscow? (I know you intended to go) - Yes, I went.]

«НЕ» [No] + imperfective infinitive is used after verbs expressing call to action or intent to carry out an action: «просить» [to ask], «советовать» [to advice], «уговаривать» [to coax], «умолять» [to beg], «обещать» [to promise], «решать» [to decide], etc.:

  • «Я просил его не принимать поспешных решений.» [I asked him not to make any hurried decisions.]
  • «Друг посоветовал мне не покупать подержанный автомобиль.» [My friend advised me not to buy a used car.]

«Не надо / не нужно / не стоит / не обязательно» [Not needed / don’t have to be / not worth it / not necessary]+ imperfective infinitive

  • «Не стоит прогибаться под изменчивый мир, пусть лучше он прогнётся под нас (А.Макаревич).» [Yielding to a changing world is not worth it; let the world yield to us. (song by A. Makarevich)]
  • «Не нужно быть семи пядей во лбу, чтобы понять это.» [You don’t have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to understand this.]

«НЕЛЬЗЯ» + infinitive

 «Нельзя» + perfective infinitive = it is not possible

«Нельзя» + imperfective infinitive = it is not allowed

  • «Можно открыть окно? – Нет, окно нельзя открыть» [May I open the window? - No, the window cannot be opened (because it is painted shut)]
  • «Можно открыть окно? – Нет, окно открывать нельзя» [May I open the window? - No, the window cannot be opened (because it’s too cold outside)]

But the rest of the time the use of perfective and imperfective infinitives is governed by general rules.

For example:

«Хочу перед тобой извиниться.» [I would like to apologize to you.] We are using perfective infinitive that expresses the non-repeating nature of this action. «Не извиняться же нам снова и снова за один маленький проступок.» [After all, we can’t continue apologizing again and again for the same tiny mistake!]

«Я устал повторять одно и то же.» [I am tired of repeating the same thing over and over.] – We are using an imperfective infinitive here because it is clear from the context that the action has already happened many times before.

Russian is a country with a high-context culture. Russian language relies heavily on hints, allusions, subtext, figurative expressions. A lot is determined by non-verbal context as well. In Russian discourse, lack of specificity is supplemented heavily by ambiguity. So to correctly determine the meaning of a seemingly simple phrase, one must be good at reading between the lines, hunting for hidden meanings. Fortunately, the language itself provides us with the clues. However, as we’ve seen, they are not the easiest ones to learn.

Finally, a bit of homework for you. Come up with situations in which the following phrases could be used:

«Бабушка пекла вкуснейшие пироги.»

«Бабушка испекла вкуснейшие пироги.»

And if something is still unclear, let us know and we’ll help you out.

Back to the Top