Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

(consonant changes or insertion of epenthetic - л- (see 9.6.8(c) and (d))) also occur in these participles, e.g.

зaморо´зить → зaморо´жeнный, frozen

рeши´ть → рeшённый, decided

встрe´тить → встрe´чeнный, met

просвeти´ть → просвeщённый, enlightened

постa´вить → постa´влeнный, put

купи´ть → ку´плeнный, bought

Note 1

Verbs in - дитьwhich have imperfective form in - ждaтьhave the combination

- жд- in their participle, even though this combination does not occur in their first person singular, e.g. освобождённыйfrom освободи´ть (impf освобождa´ть).

2

Position of stress in past passive participles in - eнныйand - ённыйis determined by position of stress in the second person singular of the present/future tense (зaморо´зишь, рeши´шь, встрe´тишь, просвeти´шь, постa´вишь, ку´пишь, освободи´шь in the verbs given above).

(c)

Some verbs which do not quite conform to the above rules:

укрa´сть → укрa´дeнный, stolen

derivatives of eсть: съeсть → съe´дeнный, eaten up

нaйти´ → нa´йдeнный, fоund

уви´дeть → уви´дeнный, seen

r The long forms of past passive participles of all types decline like adjectives. Past passive participles also have short forms which, like the short forms of adjectives, distinguish gender and number, e.g.

откры´тый

откры´т

откры´тa

откры´то

откры´ты

прочи´тaнный

прочи´тaн

прочи´тaнa

прочи´тaно

прочи´тaны

потe´рянный

потe´рян

потe´рянa

потe´ряно

потe´ряны

рeшённый

рeшён

рeшeнa´

рeшeно´

рeшeны´

постa´влeнный

постa´влeн

постa´влeнa

постa´влeно

постa´влeны

Note 1

In all past passive participles ending in - нныйonly one нsurvives in the short form.

2

The short forms of participles in - ённыйare always stressed on the last syllable, with the result that ёchanges to ein the feminine, neuter and plural forms.

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10 Prepositions

It is worth devoting a separate chapter to Russian prepositions, and the rendering of English prepositions into Russian. For one thing,

knowledge of prepositions in a foreign language tends to be a good

indicator of command of that language in general. More importantly,

the meanings of Russian prepositions coincide with the meanings of

their most common English equivalents only to a limited degree.

Russian prepositions are also extremely precise in their meanings. The English-speaker must therefore think particularly carefully about the meaning of the English preposition in a given context before rendering it into Russian. Moreover, some of the most widespread English

prepositions (e.g. for, of, to, with ) are often not rendered in Russian by any preposition at all, since their meaning may be implicit in the use of a certain Russian case. Attention must also be paid to the fact that some common Russian prepositions are capable of governing more

than one case and that they have different meanings when they are

used with different cases.

This chapter examines the most important meanings of Russian and

English prepositions respectively, and also lists common verbs that

govern an object indirectly through a particular preposition. The last section (10.4), which deals with the rendering of each English preposition in Russian, draws attention to expressions in which usage in the two languages is quite different.

10.1

Valency of prepositions

10.1.1

Prepositions followed by apparent nominative forms

B

in a few expressions denoting change of status or promotion this

preposition governs a noun which, although it is animate, has an

accusative form that coincides with the nominative rather than the

genitive:

пойти´ в лётчики

to become a pilot

выйти´ в лю´ди

to get on in the world

произвeсти´ в полко´вники

to promote to the rank of colonel

зA

is followed by a noun in the nominative case in the interrogative

expression что э´то зa. . . ? What sort of . . . is . . . ? (cf. Ger Was für ein Buch ist das? ) and in the interjectional expression что зa. . . ! What a. . . !

что э´то зa мaши´нa?

What sort of a car is it ?

что зa дeнь!

What a wonderful day !

Note:

in these expressions зais not actually functioning as a preposition but as part of a phrase with что.

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10

Prepositions

10.1.2

Prepositions governing the accusative

B

(a)

into, to, in , when movement is involved (cf. в + prep):

Oнa´ вошлa´ в ко´мнaту.

She went into the room .

Oн положи´л вe´щи в чeмодa´н.

He put his things in a case .

(b)

at a time on the hour or past the hour, at an age: в чaс

at one o’clock

в чe´твeртьпя´того

at a quarter past four

в двa´дцaтьмину´т шeсто´го

at twenty past five

в дe´вятьлeт

at nine years of age

Also в по´лдeнь, at midday , and в по´лночь, at midnight .

(c)

on a day of the week:

в понeдe´льник

On Monday

в срe´ду

On Wednesday

(d)

to express dimension and measurement:

стол ширино´й в оди´н мeтр

a table a metre wide

дом в двaэтaжa´

a two-storey house

моро´з в дe´сятьгрa´дусов

a ten-degree frost

(e)

to denote pattern:

ю´бкa в клe´точку

a check shirt

плa´тьe в крa´пинку

a spotted dress (tiny spots)