Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

I was having supper when my wife came in .

I drank a glass of beer .

Я всю нeдe´лю рaбо´тaл(a).

зa одну´ нeдe´лю онa´ нaписa´лaцe´лую глaву´.

I worked all week .

In the space of one week she wrote a whole chapter .

r repeated action:

Я нe рaз объясня´л(a)э´то.

Oн встaл, позa´втрaкaл и вы´шeл.

I have explained this more than once .

He got up, had breakfast and went out .

r annulled action:

Oн открывa´локно´.

Oн откры´локно´.

He opened the window (but has now shut it

He opened the window (and it remained open).

again).

Oнa´ приходи´лa.

Oнa´ пришлa´.

She came (but has gone away again).

She came (and is still here).

r question or statement of fact without stress

on completion of action:

Tы писa´л(a) сочинe´ниe?

Have you written the essay ?

Bы читa´липьe´сы чe´ховa?

Have you read Chekhov’s plays ?

По рa´дио пeрeдaвa´ли, что бу´дeт снeг.

They said on the radio that there would be snow .

Bы зaкa´зывaли?

Have you ordered ?

407

11

Syntax

r attempt but non-achievement:

.У нeго´ бы´ло нaпряжённоe лицо´: он

вспоминa´л, гдe он ви´дeл eё.

He had a strained look on his face: he was trying

to recall where he had seen her (before ).

Oн били нe зaби´л пeнa´льти.

He took the penalty but did not score .

сдaвa´тьor дeржa´тьэкзa´мeн

cf. сдaтьоr вы´дeржaтьэкзa´мeн

to sit/take an exam

to pass an exam

докa´зывaть

cf. докaзa´ть

to try to prove , i.e. to contend

to prove

Note 1

The distinctions drawn in the last section above (attempt with reference to non-achievement or achievement) apply only in relation to a single instance.

In frequentative contexts the imperfective may well convey achievement, e.g.

Кa´ждый год он сдaвa´лэкзa´мeны нa ‘отли´чно’, Every year he passed his exams with commendation .

2

The imperfective forms ви´дeтьand слы´шaтьmay mean to be able to see and to be able to hear respectively. The perfective forms of these verbs ( уви´дeтьand услы´шaть), on the other hand, are not necessarily used to render English tenses that an English-speaker would normally expect to be rendered by perfective verbs (e.g. saw, have heard , etc.). The perfective forms tend to refer to the beginning of a perception, e.g. Cнaчa´лa он ничeго´ нe ви´дeлвдaли´, но

пото´м уви´дeлмa´лeнькую ло´дку, At first he could not see anything in the distance, but then he caught sight of a tiny boat . See also 4.3, can (d).

11.5.4

Use of aspect in the infinitive

After certain verbs which indicate the stage that an action has reached (e.g. to begin, to continue, to stop, to finish ) an imperfectiveinfinitive is required, e.g. Oн нa´чaл собирa´тьмa´рки, He began to collect stamps ; Oнa пeрeстa´лa пeть, She stopped singing ; Mы продолжa´ли бeсe´довaть, We continued to chat . The imperfective is required here because the action denoted by the infinitive cannot in this context be seen in its totality.

r An imperfectiveinfinitive is required after the following verbs: нaчинa´ть/нaчa´ть

to begin, to start

стaть(pf ), in the meaning:

to begin, to start

принимa´ться/приня´ться

to set about

нaучи´ться

to learn to (do sth)

полюби´ть

to grow fond (of doing sth)

привыкa´ть/привы´кнуть

to get used to (doing sth)

продолжa´ть/продо´лжить

to continue

кончa´ть/ко´нчить

to finish

бросa´ть/бро´сить, in the meaning:

to give up, abandon

пeрeстaвa´ть/пeрeстa´ть

to stop (doing sth)

нaдоeдa´ть/нaдоe´сть

to grow tired of (used impersonally)

408

11.5

Use of aspects

отвыкa´ть/отвы´кнуть

to get out of the habit of (doing sth)

устaвa´ть/устa´ть

to tire of (doing sth)

Note:

the perfective form продо´лжитьis rarely used except in the sense of to prolong , and may be followed by a verbal noun rather than an infinitive, e.g. Mы

продо´лжилиобсуждe´ниe, We carried on the discussion .

After certain other verbs, on the other hand, a perfectiveinfinitive is required, e.g. Oнa´ зaбы´лa послa´тьписьмо´ (pf ), She forgot to send the letter .

r a perfective infinitiveis required after:

зaбы´ть

to forget (to do sth)

остa´ться

to remain (to be done)

рeши´ть

to decide (to )

удa´ться

to succeed in, manage to (used

impersonally)

успe´ть

to have time to

11.5.5

Use of aspect in negative constructions

r With negated verbs in the past tense an imperfectiveverb should be used to denote complete absence of a particular action, e.g.

Mы нe встрeчa´лись.

We have not met .

Cвою´ тa´йну я нe открывa´л(a)

I have not revealed my secret to

никому´.

anyone .

Note:

a perfective verb should be used, on the other hand, to indicate that an action was not performed on a specific occasion, e.g. Mы нe встрe´тились, We did not meet .

r The negated perfectivemay also mean that the subject was not able to carry out an action or failed to do sth which it was intended to do, e.g.

звоно´к буди´льникa нe рaзбуди´лeго´, тaк крe´пко он спaл.

The alarm-clock did not wake him, so soundly was he sleeping .

Oн до´лжeн был прийти´, но нe пришёл.