Svetlana Flemming - Colloquial Russian - The Next Step in Language Learning

poza´vtrakat;? 6 Onańikogdańe mogla´ pisa´t; bez owi´bok.

Zdravooxranenie

|

227

1111

Expressions denoting feelings

2

You are already familiar with the use of short form neuter adjectives 3

used with the dative to express certain feelings: nam veśelo (from 4

vese¨lyj) ‘we are cheerful’; im xoĺodno (from xolo´dnyj) ‘they are 5

cold; mne sty´dno (from sty´dnyj) ‘I am ashamed’; studeńtam 6

sku´hno (from sku´hnyj) ‘the students are bored’; emu´ boĺ;no (from 7

bol;no´j ‘sore’) ‘it hurts him’.

8111

In addition there are a number of other impersonal predicates simi-9

larly used.

10

1

@al; / 'aĺko ‘sorry for’

2

Emu 'al; bol;ny

´ x, de´vuwku.

3

He is sorry for the patients, the girl.

4

5

Note the use of the accusative for the person he is sorry for.

6

Mne 'al; smotre´t; na tebq´.

7

It grieves me to look at you.

8

9

Len; ‘too lazy’

20111

Mne len; idti´.

1

I am too lazy / can’t be bothered to go.

2

3

Pora´ ‘it is time’

4

5

Nam poraídti´.

6

It is time for us to go.

7

Note that any of these expressions can be made past or future by 8

using byĺo / bu´det: emu´ byĺo boĺ;no ‘it hurt him’; nam bu´det 'al; 9

‘we will be sorry’.

30

There are also impersonal expressions denoting feelings formed 1

from the third person singular neuter (ono´ form) of verbs.

2

3

Nadoeśt; (perf.)

4

Mne nadoeĺo rabo´tat;.

5

I’m sick of working.

6

7

Ne xvata´t; / xvati´t;

8

Nam (or u nas) ne xvataét vre´meni.

9

We are short of time.

40

1

|togo nam e]e¨ ne xvataĺo!

421111

That’s all we needed!

228

|

The health service

Nedostava´t; / nedosta´t;

Emu nedostae¨t deńeg.

He is short of / lacks money.

Note the use of the genitive after ne xvata´t; and nedostava´t;.

In addition, several reflexive verbs can be used impersonally with the dative:

Mne xoteĺos; spat;.

I wanted to sleep.

Nam ka´'etsq, hto vse¨ v porq´dke.

It seems to us that every thing is in order.

Emu ostaĺos; toĺ;ko soglasi´t;sq.

All that was left to him was to agree.

Ej ispoĺnilos; 50 let.

She is fifty.

Exercise 8

Use the most appropriate word from those given below to complete the sentences.

(ostaĺos;, ispoĺnitsq, nadoeĺo, xo´hetsq, len;, 'al;, pora´, xvataét)

1 Iz-za 'ary´ mne byĺo . . . rabo´tat;. 2 U'e´ west; haso´v: . . . idti´.

3 Nam . . . toĺ;ko otkaza´t;sq ot \´togo plańa. 4 Turiśtam byĺo

. . . be´dnyx krest;qń. 5 Emuńe . . . o´pyta dlq tako´j rabo´ty. 6 Vo vtoŕnik mne . . . 21 god. 7 Mne o´hen; . . . uvi´det; \´tot fiĺ;m.

8 Emu´ . . . rabo´tat; tam i deĺat; sku´hnu[ rabo´tu.

Exercise 9

Study the advertisement for the Marina Mashenskaya dental clinic.

1 Give four reasons for choosing the Marina Mashenskaya clinic.

2 What is the advantage of taking the whole family along to the clinic?

3 What special programmes does the clinic offer?

Zdravooxranenie

|

229

1111

2

3

4

5

6

7

8111

9

10

1