{"id":10293,"date":"2017-09-25T09:32:46","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T09:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=10293"},"modified":"2017-09-25T09:32:46","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T09:32:46","slug":"to-be-or-not-to-be-using-%d0%b1%d1%8b%d1%82%d1%8c-%d0%b5%d1%81%d1%82%d1%8c-and-other-terms-of-existence-in-russian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/to-be-or-not-to-be-using-%d0%b1%d1%8b%d1%82%d1%8c-%d0%b5%d1%81%d1%82%d1%8c-and-other-terms-of-existence-in-russian\/","title":{"rendered":"To be or not to be?: Using \u201c\u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c\u201d, “\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c”, and other terms of existence in Russian"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Anton Chekhov IS\u00a0<\/em>one of Russia’s most celebrated playwrights.<\/p><\/div>\n

Understanding these verbs is crucial to describing the world in Russian.<\/p>\n

Most English-speakers find the very “to be” <\/span>to be<\/span><\/i> a central part of speech. The reason is clear to us natives: The verb is dynamic enough to denote existence, state, <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> mood. For example, \u201cThere is an eclipse happening\u201d, \u201cThe door is open\u201d, or \u201cI am happy\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, one aspect of Russian and other Slavic languages most English speakers find surprising is that “to be” is rarely ever included in the present tense of sentences at all! It is simply omitted, and the meaning is gathered from context instead. This is especially apparent when describing things or people:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u042f \u0441\u0442\u0443\u0434e<\/strong><\/span>\u043d\u0442. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI am a student.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u041e\u043da<\/strong> \u0441\u0447a<\/strong><\/span>\u0441\u0442\u043b\u0438\u0432\u0430! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cShe is happy!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u041c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/strong><\/span>\u043d \u043e\u0442\u043a\u0440<\/span>\u044b<\/strong>\u0442? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIs the store open?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0411\u044b\u0442\u044c<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Despite this, however, the Russian word for “to be”, \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c, is actually quite common in Russian when used in the future or past:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u042f \u0431\u044b\u043b \u0433\u043e\u0442<\/span>\u043e<\/strong>\u0432<\/span>.<\/span> \u201cI was ready.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0421\u0442\u0443\u0434e<\/strong><\/span>\u043d\u0442\u044b \u0431<\/span>\u0443<\/strong>\u0434\u0443\u0442 \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0440<\/span>\u043e<\/strong>\u0435\u043d\u044b.<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe students will be upset.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can find the full conjugation of these tenses of \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As stated before, the present-tense of \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c is almost always omitted in the present tense, and its conjugation in this tense is a striking anomaly in Russian for one reason<\/span>\u2014<\/span>All pronouns, genders, and numbers have the same conjugation, that being \u201c\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c\u201d! However, this form is only very rarely seen, and only in literature and other written material, where it is used dramatically to indicate existential identity:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0425\u043e\u0447<\/span>\u0443<\/strong>\u00a0\u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c \u0441\u0447\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043b<\/span>\u0438<\/strong>\u0432\u044b\u043c, \u043a\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/strong>\u0439 \u044f \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c.<\/span> I want to be happy with who I am.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Note that the adjective following \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c is always in the <\/span>instrumental <\/span><\/i>case.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This above example highlights another case of when \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c is included, which is in the infinitive, especially (but not limited to) when it is follows another verb. Here are some examples:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u042f \u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0443<\/strong>\u0447\u0438\u043b\u0441\u044f \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c \u0443\u0447\u0451\u043d\u044b\u043c.<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI learned to be a scholar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0411\u044b\u0442\u044c \u043b<\/span>\u0438<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0440\u043e\u043c\u2014\u044d\u0442\u043e \u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c.<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cTo be a leader is an honor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A line of the Hymn of the Russian Federation is a perfect example of all of \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c\u2019s tenses in action:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0422\u0430\u043a \u0431\u044b<\/strong>\u043b\u043e, \u0442\u0430\u043a \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c \u0438 \u0442\u0430\u043a \u0431\u0443<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0442 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0433\u0434a<\/strong>!<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cSo it was, so it is, and so it will always be!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

C\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another verb worth mentioning is \u0441\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c, which means \u201cto become\u201d, often in the sense of a profession or some other status. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u042f \u0441\u0442\u0430\u043b \u0431\u0430\u043d\u043a\u0438<\/strong>\u0440\u043e\u043c.<\/span> \u201cI became a banker.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u041c\u044b \u0441\u0442a<\/strong>\u043d\u0435\u043c \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0437\u044c\u044f<\/strong>\u043c\u0438.<\/span> \u201cWe will become friends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is the perfective form of the verb, which is the most common. The imperfective form is \u0441\u0442\u0430\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0301\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

E\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Besides, \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c, another term, \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c (don\u2019t confuse this will the present tense of , is important to learn. An important first step to understanding \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c is to not think of it as meaning \u201cto be\u201d, but to mean \u201cthere is\/there are\u201d, since this is how the word is usually used:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0443 \u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f<\/strong> \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c? \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cWhat do I have?\u201d (Lit. \u201cWhat at me is there?)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u041d\u0430 \u0441\u0442\u043e\u043be<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u043a\u043d<\/span>\u0438<\/strong>\u0433\u0430 \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a book on the table.\u201d (Lit. \u201cOn the table book there is\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Notice that \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c often occurs at end of a sentence or phrase. This placement is not required, but it does serve to emphasize the existence of some object, rather than what that object actually is. This follows the cardinal rule of Russian sentence order that the most important words come at the end (rather than at the beginning, as in English). For example, compare these two sentences that have the same literal meaning, but that place different emphasis on their parts: <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c\u041d\u0430 \u0441\u0442\u043e\u043be<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u043a\u043d<\/span>\u0438<\/strong>\u0433\u0430 \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0“There <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>(indeed) a book on the table.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c\u041d\u0430 \u0441\u0442\u043e\u043be<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c \u043a\u043d<\/span>\u0438<\/strong>\u0433\u0430.\u201d <\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 “There is a <\/span>book <\/span><\/i>(as opposed to something else) on the table.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Additionally, e\u0441\u0442\u044c usually occurs next to the object to which it refers, whether before or after, which the above examples illustrate. The possessive construction can also be simplified when answering a question: <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0423 \u0432\u0430\u0441 \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c \u043a\u043b\u044e\u0447? \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cDo you have a key?\u201d (Lit. \u201cAt you is there a key?\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0414\u0430, \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u201cYes, I do.\u201d (Lit. \u201cYes, there is.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The opposite of the affirmative answer is the term \u201c\u041d\u0435\u0442\u201d, which can be substituted for \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c to communicate that there is NOT something. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Note that whatever noun \u043d\u0435\u0442 refers to must be placed in the <\/span>genitive <\/span><\/i>case:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u041d\u0435\u0442 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0447<\/span>\u0438<\/strong>\u043d. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s no reason\u201d \u00a0(Lit. \u201cThere are no reasons\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u041d\u0435\u0442 + \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0447\u0438<\/strong>\u043d\u044b (gen.) <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0417\u0434\u0435\u0441\u044c \u0445\u043e\u0440<\/span>\u043e<\/strong>\u0448\u0435\u0433\u043e \u0440\u0435\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0440a<\/strong><\/span>\u043d\u0430 \u043d\u0435\u0442. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0“There is no good restaurant here.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0417\u0434\u0435\u0441\u044c + \u0445\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/strong>\u0448\u0438\u0439 (gen.) + \u0440\u0435\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430<\/strong>\u043d (gen.) + \u043d\u0435\u0442<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also, when talking about possession, don\u2019t confuse \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c with \u0438\u043c\u0435\u0442\u044c, a verb that means \u201cto have\u201d in an abstract sense and with non-physical objects:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u042f \u0438\u043ce<\/strong>\u044e \u043f\u0440<\/span>\u0430<\/strong>\u0432\u043e. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cI have the right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u041f\u043e\u043d<\/span>\u044f<\/strong>\u0442\u0438\u044f \u043d\u0435 \u0438\u043ce<\/strong><\/span>\u0435\u0448\u044c! \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cYou have no idea!\u201d (Lit. Notions you don\u2019t have!)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u041e\u043d \u0438\u043ce<\/strong><\/span>\u043b \u0432\u043e\u0437\u043c<\/span>\u043e<\/strong>\u0436\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c \u0432\u0441\u0442\u0440e<\/strong><\/span>\u0442\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0441 \u041f<\/span>\u0443<\/strong>\u0442\u0438\u043d\u044b\u043c. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cHe had the opportunity to meet with Putin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0421\u0443\u0449e<\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0432<\/span>\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lastly, the verb c\u0443\u0449\u00e9\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c means \u201cto exist”, both figuratively and literally. It is used in a capacity very similar to in English, and is also inserted in place of \u0435\u0441\u0442\u044c to mean \u201cthere is\/are\u201d in formal contexts:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u041e\u0434\u043da<\/strong><\/span>\u043a\u043e \u0441\u0443\u0449\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432<\/span>\u0443<\/strong>\u0435\u0442 \u0440\u044f\u0434 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0431\u043be<\/strong><\/span>\u043c. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>\u201cThere are, however, a number of problems.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Indicating existence is one of the ways in which Russian diverges from English. Following these descriptions and examples, however, will ensure that you develop a stable grasp of some of the language\u2019s most important verbs. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Understanding these verbs is crucial to describing the world in Russian. Most English-speakers find the very “to be” to be a central part of speech. The reason is clear to us natives: The verb is dynamic enough to denote existence, state, and mood. For example, \u201cThere is an eclipse happening\u201d, \u201cThe door is open\u201d…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":10297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10293","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10293"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13288,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10293\/revisions\/13288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}