Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

He asked whether I was studyingRussian .

Oнa´ спроси´лa, соглa´сeн ли я.

She asked whether I agreed .

Note:

in reported questions whether is rendered by лиand the Russian word order, with inversion of subject and predicate, is an order possible in a question. The last two examples above illustrate the point.

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11

Syntax

(b)

Present perfect continuous: a present tense is used in Russian to denote an action which began in the past and is still continuing,

e.g.

Я пять лeт изучa´юру´сский язы´к.

I have been studyingRussian for five years .

Oн три´дцaть лeт рaбо´тaeтди´ктором.

He has been workingas a newsreader for thirty years .

(c)

Logical future: the future tense, expressed by a perfective verb, is used in Russian subordinate clauses containing conditional and

temporal conjunctions such as e´слиand когдa´if the action clearly is yet to take place (cf. English use of present tense in these

circumstances), e.g.

Éсли вы прочитaéтeэ´ту кни´гу, вы всё поймётe.

You will understand everything if you readthis book .

Когдa´ он придёт, мы поговори´м об э´том.

We shall talk about this when he arrives .

Note:

the present tense is used, as in English, with verbs of motion indicating that an action is to take place in the near future, e.g. Я иду´в кино´ сeго´дня вe´чeром, I

am goingto the cinema tonight .

11.7

Use of verbs of motion

There are fourteen pairs of imperfective verbs of motion which give

particular difficulty to the foreign student. There is perhaps no entirely satisfactory term to define the two categories: the terms abstract,

indeterminate and multidirectional are all applied to the category

including ходи´ть, whilst the terms concrete, determinate and unidirectional are applied to the category which includes идти´. The fourteen pairs are as follows:

ходи´ть

идти´

to walk, go on foot

e´здить

e´хaть

to travel, go by transport

бe´гaть

бeжa´ть

to run

лeтa´ть

лeтe´ть

to fly

плa´вaть

плыть

to swim, float, sail

по´лзaть

ползти´

to crawl

носи´ть

нeсти´

to take (by hand), carry

води´ть

вeсти´

to take, lead

вози´ть

вeзти´

to take (by transport), convey

лa´зить

лeзть

to climb

гоня´ть

гнaть

to drive, pursue

кaтa´ть

кaти´ть

to roll, push

тaскa´ть

тaщи´ть

to pull

броди´ть

брeсти´

to wander, amble

Note:

the verb брeсти´may convey a sense of slowness or difficulty.

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11.8

Use of reflexive verbs

Use of verbs like

The easiest way to grasp the distinction between the verbs in the two идти´

categories is perhaps to treat those like идти´as having quite specific meaning and those like ходи´ть, on the contrary, as covering a broader range of meanings outside the scope of those like идти´(cf. the similar distinction made in 11.5.1 between the perfective aspect of the verb and the broader imperfective).

Verbs like идти´indicate movement in one general direction. The movement is not necessarily in a straight line, but progress is made from point A towards point B, e.g.

Oнa´ идётпо у´лицe.

She is going down the street .

Oн бeжи´тк aвто´бусу.

He is running towards the bus .

Use of verbs like

One may list a number of meanings outside the scope of verbs in the

ходи´ть

category of идти´, and these meanings are all conveyed by verbs like ходи´ть.

(a)

Repeatedor habitualaction, e.g.

По суббо´тaм мы хо´димв кино´.

On Saturdays we go to the cinema .

(b)

Round trip, e.g.

Я ходи´л(a)в тeáтр.

I went to the theatre (and came

back).

In this sense ходи´ть may be synonymous with быть, e.g. Oнa ходи´лa

в тea´тр, She went to the theatre = Oнa былa´ в тea´трe.

Note:

it may be difficult to separate the sense of round trip from the sense of repetition, e.g. Кa´ждый дeнь дe´ти хо´дятв шко´лу, Each day the children go to school (and of course come home again).

(c)

Movement in various directions, e.g.

дe´вочки бe´гaлипо сa´ду.

The little girls were running round

the garden .

(d)

General movement, i.e. movement without reference to any specific instance of it, e.g.

Peбёнок нa´чaл ходи´ть.

The child began to walk .

Я нe умe´ю плa´вaть.

I can’t swim .

Пти´цы лeтa´ют, змe´и по´лзaют.

Birds fly, snakes crawl .

11.8

Use of reflexive verbs

r Many common verbs exist only in a reflexive form but have no

obvious reflexive meaning, e.g.

боя´ться(impf )

to fear, be afraid of

горди´ться(impf )

to be proud of

пытa´ться/попытa´ться

to attempt

смeя´ться(impf )

to laugh

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стaрa´тъся/постaрa´ться

to try

улыбa´ться/улыбну´ться

to smile

Note:

in a few pairs the imperfective form is reflexive but the perfective form is not: ложи´ться/лeчь

to lie down

ло´пaться/ло´пнуть

to burst (intrans)

сaди´ться/сeсть

to sit down

стaнови´ться/стaть