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

30

1

2

Exercise 5

3

4

Put the words in brackets into the genitive.

5

6

Perevoro´t 19 a´vgusta 1991 go´da – neśkol;ko (zamehańiq) 7

Peŕvaq popy´tka (perevoro´t) v Rośsii proizowla´ v a´vguste 1991 go´da, 8

kogdańeśkol;ko (hlen) (by´vwee Politb[ro´) organizovaĺi za´govor i 9

40

vyśtupili pro´tiv (no´vaq demokra´tiq i Gorbahe¨v). (Gorbahe¨v) ne´ bylo 1

v Moskve´ vo vre´mq (za´govor), i zagovoŕ]iki byĺi uveŕeny v uspe´xe 421111

(svoi´

de´jstviq). Oniźnaĺi, hto u (Gorbahe¨v) net (bol;wa´q

16

|

Russia and the Russian language

politi´heskaq vlast;) i (poddeŕ'ka) (naro´d). Odnoíz (soby´tiq), kotoŕoe stimuliŕovalo popy´tku (gosudaŕstvennyj perevoro´t) bylańacionalizaćiq Rossiéj (gaźovaq i neftqna´q promy´wlennost;) i povyweńie (vnu´trennie ceńy) na neft;. Odna´ko popy´tka (perevoro´t) provaliĺas;. No´voe pravi´tel;stvo (El;cin i egośora´tniki) rewi´tel;no potre´bovali (areśt) (organiza´tory) (puth). Tepeŕ; u'eńi u (kto) net (somneńiq), hto popy´tka (perevoro´t) v a´vguste 1991

go´da – odnaíz (prihińy) (raspa´d) (Sove´tskij So[

ź).

Vocabulary ♦

by

´ vwij

former

vnu´trennij

domestic

vy

śtupit; pro´tiv

to act, come out, against

gaźovaq i nefqna´q

gas and oil industry

promy

´ wlennost;

gosudaŕstvennyj

state

de´jstvie

action

za´govor / zagovoŕ]ik

plot / plotter

Rossiq i Russkij Qzyk

|

17

1111

povyweńie

increase

2

poddeŕ'ka

support

3

popy

´ tka

attempt

4

pravi´tel;stvo

government

5

prihińa

reason

6

provali´t;sq

to fail

7

proizojti´

to happen, take place

8111

raspa´d

collapse

9

rewi´tel;no

resolutely

10

soby

´ tie

event

1

somneńie

doubt

2

sora´tnik

comrade-in-arms

3

uveŕeny v uspe´xe

confident of the success

4

hlen Politb[ro´

member of the Politburo

(political bureau of the

5

Central Committee of

6

the Communist Party)

7

8

9

20111

Exercise 6

1

2

Answer the questions in English.

3

4

1 Who were the instigators of the coup?

5

2 Why did they feel that Gorbachev was vulnerable?

6

3 Which economic policy helped provoke the coup?

7

4 What was the Yeltsin government’s response to the failed coup?

8

5 In what significant historical event was the failure of the coup an 9

important factor?

30

1

Dative case

2

3

Uses of the dative case

4

5

1 The dative is the case of the indirect object of the verb: 6

Gorbahe¨v peredaĺ vlast; El;cinu v dekabre´ 1991g.

7

Gorbachev handed over power to Yeltsin in December 1991.

8

9

2 The dative is also used after certain verbs that take a direct object 40

in English: veŕit; (po-) ‘to believe’; pomoga´t; / pomo´h; ‘to help’; 1

sle´dovat; (po) ‘to follow’ (orders etc.); sove´tovat; (po-) ‘to 421111

advise’; ugro'a´t; , grozi´t; ‘to threaten’:

18

|

Russia and the Russian language

Rossií grozi´t perevoro´t.

A coup threatens Russia.

There is further information on verbs with the dative in Unit 5.

Note the constructions with uhi´t; ‘to teach / learn’ and uhi´t;sq

‘to learn’:

Q uhuégoŕuśskomu qzyku´.

I teach him Russian.

Q uhuś; ruśskomu qzyku´.

I am learning / studying Russian.

But note:

Q uhuŕuśskij qzy

´ k.

I am learning Russian.

There is more information on verbs of teaching and learning in Unit 10.

3 The dative is used with the prepositions k ‘towards (place), by (time)’ and po ‘according to, along, through, by’: k ve´heru

‘by evening’; k do´mu ‘towards the house’; po po´hte ‘by post’; po uĺice ‘along the street’. There is more information on the use of po in Unit 10.

4 The dative is used with a large number of impersonal expressions: nam

intereśno ‘it is interesting for us’; Prezideńtu na´do

rewi´t; ‘the President has to decide’. These expressions are dealt with in detail in Unit 12. Note also On nam izveśten ‘He is known to us’.

5 Note this use of the dative with the infinitive:

Hto mne deĺat;?

What am I to do?

6 The dative may also be combined with certain reflexive verbs: Li´deru prixo´ditsq rewa´t;.

The leader has to decide.

Rossiq i Russkij Qzyk

|

19

1111

Emu´ xoteĺos; uvi´det; prezideńta.

2

He wanted to see the President.