Image from pixabay.com

The way one language expresses an idea does not always work in a different language. This sounds like a truism, however, certain turns of phrase the learner’s first language interferes with seem to affect many learners. Some of the comparisons will be English-based and, obviously, will not apply for all languages. Even so, this may be useful for learners of all backgrounds.

1. “How do you know?”

When asking about the source of someone else’s information, you may be tempted to say, “Как ты знаешь?” Как is “how,” after all. However, in Russian, “как” is used to talk about the manner in which something is done, for example, “Как ты знаешь математику?” “Хорошо” (“How [well] do you know mathematics?” “Well.”).

If you need to find out how the other person found out about something, i.e. the source of their knowledge, you need to use “откуда” (“where from”). Example: “Откуда ты знаешь Сергея?” “Мы учились вместе” (“How do you know Sergey?” “We studied together.”).

2. “Why?”

In English, and perhaps some other languages, it is acceptable to answer an unexpected question with “Why?” when we really mean to say “Why do you ask?” A literal translation into Russian, “Почему?” does not work this way. “Почему” asks for the causes of a situation. If we need to ask about the reason for the person asking, we say just that — “Почему ты спрашиваешь?” (“Why do you ask?”) or “Почему вас это интересует?” (“Why does this interest you?”) For example:

— Ты идешь завтра на концерт? (Are you going to the concert tomorrow?)

— Да. Почему ты спрашиваешь? (Yes, I am. Why?)

3. “Young Children”

Image from pexels.com

If you look up “young” (or its equivalent in another language) in a dictionary, you will find “молодой.” However, that’s not the whole story. “Молодая” etc. really refers to the age of young adulthood. It is all relative, and the upper limit will depend on your attitude and who you are comparing the “young” person to. However, in Russian, the youngest people the word “молодые” can apply to would probably need to be post-pubescent. Young children are called “маленькие” (small).

“В магазин зашла молодая девушка” (“A young girl/woman walked into the store”).

“Маленьких детей нельзя оставлять без присмотра” (“Young children should not be left unsupervised”).

4. “Student”

“Студент” may or may not be a false friend of the English “student.” “Студент” can only describe a person getting a post-secondary education. For primary/secondary education, we say “ученик” (student/pupil) or “школьник” (schoolgoer — note that “школа” in Russian cannot refer to a university).

“Студенты создали успешное приложение” (“College students have created a successful app”).

“В этой школе 3000 учеников” (“This grade school has 3000 pupils”).

5. “Be able to”

Image from pexels.com

When we talk about acquired skills, in English we say “I can do something” — bike, ski, swim and so on. Other languages may have a similar construction with the word for “know.” If you say “Я могу плавать” (literally, “I can swim”), it means you have the physical ability and permission to swim. If you want to say that you can do it because you know how, use “уметь”:

“Мы умеем кататься на велосипеде” (We can ride a bicycle).

“Спортсмен получил травму и не может кататься на лыжах” (The athlete was injured and cannot ski).

Are there any other constructions that are hard to remember in Russian, where you find yourself defaulting to your native syntax? Let us know!