I heard the following phrase in one media advertisement:
Глядя на нас, сразу понятно, что я ... , а он ... .
Subconsciously I doubt if it is grammatically correct phrase.
Could you clarify it please?
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6 Answers
This form is incorrect.
Rosenthal et al., СППЛР, 212.1.2:
Если же в безличном предложении нет инфинитива, к которому мог бы относиться деепричастный оборот, то употребление последнего стилистически неоправданно, например: Уезжая из родного города, мне стало грустно; Прочитав вторично рукопись, редактору показалось, что она нуждается в серьезной доработке.
Correct form would be:
При взгляде на нас сразу понятно, что я …
or
Глядя на нас, можно сразу понять, что я …
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Как мне кажется Розенталь говорит здесь скорее о стиле, чем о грамматике. Commented Nov 29, 2012 at 19:02
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in this very quote you provided, Rosental says that using this construction is questionable not from the grammar point of view, not from the stylistic point of view. And in coloquial speech you can hear such constructions very very often from people whose first and only language is Russian. Commented Nov 29, 2012 at 22:45
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3Just consulted my wife who has Ph.D. in Russian phylology. She says "стилистически коряво и стоит переформулировать, но грубой ошибки здесь не вижу". Commented Nov 29, 2012 at 22:46
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1Глядя на Х, смотря по Х, не смотря на Х, не глядя на Х are idioms, common rules do not apply.– AnixxCommented Jan 16, 2015 at 23:31
Being grammatically invalid, people have been using constructs like that anyway*. Even native speakers get it wrong from time to time.
Some very famous authors did it, too - to attract your attention, as in:
Поселившись теперь в деревне, его мечта и идеал были в том, чтобы воскресить ту форму жизни, которая была при деде (Л. Н. Толстой)
or in a direct speech - to hint at a poor command of the Russian grammar on the part of the speaker:
"Подъезжая к сией станции и глядя на природу в окно, у меня слетела шляпа" (А. П. Чехов)
P.S. Useful references: one, two.
* Yes, I structured the sentence incorrectly, with the idea to illustrate a similar mistake in English.
answered Nov 28, 2012 at 1:24
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1Constructs similar to Tolstoy's quote were quite popular in XIX's literature and are believed to be French calques.– Quassnoi ♦Commented Nov 28, 2012 at 5:11
No, such a construction is absolutely grammatically INCORRECT. The sentence will be correct if the participial construction coinсides with the subject
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1Welcome to Russian.SE. Please refrain from repeating existing answers unless you are expanding or elaborating upon them.– Aleks GCommented Nov 30, 2012 at 8:22
Well, I'm agree "This form is incorrect", but ... a lot of people saying this way. So yes, you can use it, but shouldn't, especially if don't want other think you're an ignorant man.
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1Thank you for participation. However since there are several similar answers it is better to upvote an existing one.– ArtemixCommented Jan 13, 2015 at 17:19
It's absolutely grammatically correct. It's "From looking at us, it is absolutely clear [for him/her/them] that I ... and he ..."
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I'm Russian and this sounds correct to me. At the very least Russian-speaking people often say so. It might be not entirely correct from the formal grammar point of view, but colloquially it is perfectly fine to use this construction.
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Please read the question carefully before answering. The OP is not asking whether this phrase is used, but rather whether it's grammatically correct.– Aleks GCommented Nov 30, 2012 at 8:21