Questions tagged [pronouns]
Questions about pronouns of all kinds: personal pronouns (me), indefinite pronouns (some), relative pronouns (which) and so on..
33
questions
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Why “их” instead of “его” in Dostoevsky's Adolescent?
In this passage from Dostoevsky's Adolescent, Arkady is getting worked up about a mistake his sister is supposedly making in Russian. I was wondering what plural их for singular его is about in the ...
3
votes
1answer
81 views
How to determine the initial form of the words like “самого”, “самой”?
У самого (+ masculine noun in genitive case)... У самой (+ feminine noun in genitive case)...
I guess that the initial form of these pronouns may be either "сам"/"сама" or "...
3
votes
1answer
151 views
'all of the' vs 'all the' : using весь
I want to say,
Almost all of the weeds are in bloom.
which, in English, can also be stated (improperly?) as,
Almost all the weeds are in bloom.
So far is that correct?
I think these two would ...
2
votes
3answers
184 views
How to properly use these pronouns? То, та
Sorry about the ambiguous title but I don't really know how to ask this in a more linguistic way.
This question comes from trying to form sentences of the form
The (property) (subject) is the one ...
4
votes
3answers
379 views
Asking to take photos in Russian
If I want to say "can I take a photo of you (your face)", how should I proceed?
Могу снять фото на вас?
Могу снять портрет ваш?
Or neither of the aforementioned?
2
votes
3answers
81 views
У меня or мне before не- words
Which one is correctly written?
У меня не с кем говорить
Мне не с кем говорить
Thanks!
2
votes
2answers
96 views
Inflection of такой, какой
Within the expression такой, какой must both components be in the same case? Or rather, какой may take another case, according to the content of the second clause?
For example:
"She's just like she ...
4
votes
3answers
136 views
The reason why the reflexive pronoun “себя” is not used despite referring to oneself?
В то время был еще жив человек, который подталкивал меня к осуществлению мечты.
{Why not}: В то время был еще жив человек, который подталкивал себя к осуществлению мечты.
The speaker is reminiscing ...
4
votes
3answers
216 views
“вы с Адамом близки”: Why use the plural “вы” to supposedly refer to the casual, singular “you”?
Я начинаю понимать, почему вы с Адамом так близки.
The intended meaning: "you{singular, her interlocutor} and Adam are so close"
The speaker and her interlocutor are on close enough terms to call ...
5
votes
3answers
107 views
clarification on the proper form of a possessive pronoun
Simple question at the end of my textbook (finally)...
I'm supposed to provide the proper form for a possessive pronoun in the blank:
Где ____ машина! Вы видели ____ машину?
Нет, я не видел ____ ...
9
votes
2answers
337 views
Often 2 variants of feminine instrumental…?
maybe my title needs some work... but I use Wiktionary a lot for declensions, etc and I often see two forms for feminine instrumental adjectives, but my textbook only ever uses, typically, the 'first' ...
16
votes
4answers
3k views
How to say “give to my girlfriend's mother” in Russian?
I know how to use possessive pronouns in Russian:
Это моя книга.
I also know how to describe a person's possession:
Это книга подруги.
But how do I combine two persons, such as in this example:...
5
votes
0answers
216 views
считывать, считать (heteronyms, AKA heterophones) [closed]
In the Russian language we pronounce the written word считать differently, с-читать или щщитать, depending on what is expressed. (they are heteronyms, also known as heterophones, for English it's ...
3
votes
3answers
267 views
Interrogative pronouns taking different case than it's noun
While reading https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Russian/Interrogative_Pronouns it's not clear to me the following example:
He talks about the girl who works there - Он говорит о девушке, которая ...
16
votes
1answer
2k views
Why did “он” suddenly become so much more common?
In the case of English, "she" was used much less than "he", and it still hasn't caught up. In Russian, it looks as if the translation of "he" almost didn't exist, until around 1915. What happened?
1
vote
2answers
1k views
Какой vs что - when asking questions
If I wanted to ask someone, "What sport do you like?" or almost the same thing, "Which sport do you like?" - this latter being used as if a parent was asking a child while they were reviewing a sign-...
6
votes
5answers
742 views
Почему так часто “ничего” а не “ничто”? (Why “ничего” and not “ничто”?)
I understand the declension of что -- it's inanimate/неодушевлённый, so of course it should be
Nom: что
Acc: что
Gen: чего
Dat: чему
Inst: чем
Prep: чём
Likewise кто is animate/одушевлённый, so it ...
4
votes
4answers
142 views
Why are words such as каждый, другой, etc. classified as determinative pronouns?
Multiple references classify каждый, другой, and иной, etc. as determinative pronouns (e.g. here, here)
However, these words seem to function as typical adjectives as in: Я читал каждую книгу. While ...
3
votes
3answers
153 views
Third Person Plural Pronoun for Inanimate Objects in Accusative Case
I know that for animate objects the third person plural pronoun is их:
— Ты знаешь Мишу и Катю?
— Нет, я их не знаю. ( Нет, я этих людей не знаю. )
However, I am not sure if we use the same ...
3
votes
2answers
317 views
Why is the possessive pronoun for “имя” “Мое”, even though “имя” is a feminine word?
I don't quite understand the reason for why Мое instead of Моя is used. Could somebody explain it to me?
9
votes
3answers
690 views
Why use dative in “Сколько тебе лет”?
In the following sentence:
Сколько тебе лет?
Why do you use тебе, the dative form of ты? I think this sentence means "How old are you?" but why not say it with genitive, like:
Сколько тебя лет?...
3
votes
3answers
792 views
Impersonal pronoun (English one/you)
Many languages have an impersonal pronoun ("man" in German, "on" in French). In slightly old-fashioned English, the word "one" is used; as in "Where can one get one's hair cut?" Otherwise, "you" is ...
10
votes
5answers
571 views
How does a traditional family address one another?
In a traditional household, I'm curious.. In what sense do people talk to one another?
Does a father talk to his children using "вы"? или "ты"?
To the same respect, does a child refer to his parents ...
7
votes
4answers
5k views
Do gender-neutral pronouns exist in Russian?
I am trying to translate some things into Russia which use pronoun «ze». I would prefer not to have to make stuff up or use footnotes. Is there a gender neutral pronoun in Russian language?
(Перевод)
...
5
votes
2answers
807 views
What is the difference between что-то, нечто и кое-что?
I know they can all be translated as something, and I know that что-то differs from что-нибудь in that it refers to something concrete, but not mentioned (whereas the former refers to anything at all) ...
3
votes
3answers
426 views
How do you most commonly use чей/чья/чьё/чьи?
I know it is used as an interrogative pronoun ('Чей это дом?') - "whose", but I've also seen:
For example
-Turn one's attention to something
обратить чье-либо внимание на что-либо
I understand ...
8
votes
7answers
2k views
“У меня оба часов/обеи часы/обои часы сломались”?
У меня оба часов/обеи часы/обои часы сломались.
What' s the correct way of stating the fact that both of my watches are not functioning?
7
votes
3answers
616 views
Сhoosing between твоих and своих
When should твоих be used and when should своих be used?
What are the reasons for picking one over another?
19
votes
6answers
3k views
Possessive constructions: “мой” vs. “у меня”
What is the difference between the following sentences:
Мой папа в командировке.
У меня папа в командировке.
How can I explain to foreign students when to use "мой" or "у меня"?
11
votes
4answers
1k views
24
votes
5answers
2k views
What's the difference between -либо and -нибудь?
The pairs кто-нибудь and кто-либо, когда-нибудь and когда-либо etc. have slight differences in meaning, and each particle is used in specific settings, but I can't quite pinpoint what the difference ...
7
votes
2answers
352 views
Proper use of ничто when answering
This question might arise from a misunderstanding from my part, but here I am to solve it once and for all.
From my russian courses, I remember my classmates answering "ничего" to questions meaning "...
28
votes
4answers
3k views
What is correct: “их” or “ихний”?
My wife always corrects me when I say ихний or ихних instead of их. However, I've seen these pronouns in classical literature many times (Chekhov, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky).
Which form is correct in ...
