{"id":13031,"date":"2020-10-05T17:05:42","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T17:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=13031"},"modified":"2020-10-05T17:05:42","modified_gmt":"2020-10-05T17:05:42","slug":"was-yoda-russian-sentence-structure-in-russian-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/was-yoda-russian-sentence-structure-in-russian-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Was Yoda Russian? (Sentence Structure in Russian. Part I)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDo or do not. There is no try.\u201d While Yoda\u2019s OSV (object-subject-verb) word order may seem a bit unusual, the Russian translation of the quote doesn\u2019t sound all that strange or other-worldly, all because the Russian sentence structure is flexible.<\/p>\n

So, please do<\/em> try, because learning about the nuances of word order variations in Russian will enrich and elevate your speech and writing, as well as give you a two-fold appreciation for Russian poetry and prose. Who is ready to be \u201c\u043d\u0430 \u0442\u044b<\/span><\/strong>\u201d with this tricky topic?<\/p>\n

Note: \u00ab\u043d\u0430 \u0442\u044b<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb means to address the other person informally instead of the formal pronoun \u201c\u0432\u044b<\/span><\/strong>\u201d; often asked as \u00ab\u043c\u043e\u0301\u0436\u043d\u043e \u043d\u0430 \u0442\u044b<\/span>?<\/strong>\u00bb = \u00abcan we speak on informal terms?\u00bb.<\/p>\n

There are two main classifications of the word order in Russian: \u043f\u0440\u044f\u043c\u043e\u0301\u0439 \u0438 \u043e\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0442\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u043f\u043e\u0440\u044f\u0301\u0434\u043e\u043a \u0441\u043b\u043e\u0301\u0432<\/strong> (direct and inverse).<\/p>\n

The word order can be dictated by the speaker\u2019s desire for guiding the listener\u2019s attention from what is known to what is unknown. A sentence begins with something familiar and culminates in a piece of new important information.<\/p>\n

Compare the following two sentences:<\/p>\n

– \u0412 \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0438\u0301\u043e\u0434 \u0441 1863 \u043f\u043e 1866, \u0431\u044b\u0301\u043b\u0438 \u043e\u043f\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0301\u0432\u0430\u043d\u044b \u043f\u0435\u0301\u0440\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u0447\u0435\u0442\u044b\u0440\u0451\u0445\u0442\u043e\u0301\u043c\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0438\u0437\u0434\u0430\u0301\u043d\u0438\u044f \u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f\u0301 \u0414\u0430\u043b\u044f.<\/strong> (The date range \u201c1863-1866\u201d is known, and the part about Dahl\u2019s dictionaries being published for the first time is emphasized).<\/p>\n

– \u041f\u0435\u0301\u0440\u0432\u043e\u0435 \u0447\u0435\u0442\u044b\u0440\u0451\u0445\u0442\u043e\u0301\u043c\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u0438\u0437\u0434\u0430\u0301\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f\u0301 \u0414\u0430\u043b\u044f \u0432\u044b\u0301\u0448\u043b\u043e \u0432 \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0438\u0301\u043e\u0434 \u0441 1863 \u043f\u043e 1866 \u0433\u043e\u0434.<\/strong> (The emphasis is reversed here, and the stress falls on the date of the event rather than what happened).<\/p>\n

This is only the tip of the iceberg. And I\u2019m a bit apprehensive about labeling anything in this blog in the strict sense of it being a \u201crule\u201d, so here are a few helpful guidelines to follow in terms of word order. Keep in mind that taken out of context, these sentences can have a number of variations on the sentence structure in both written and oral form. But, it\u2019s the contextual confines that determine what will be stressed in a given sentence.<\/p>\n

Nouns and Verbs<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Nouns (generally) precede verbs. The familiar English SVO order (Subject \u2013 Verb- Object) is the default word order in Russian as well. The subject comes before the verb especially <\/em>when it\u2019s established that all parties know what or who the subject in question is. \u041c\u0430\u0448\u0438\u0301\u043d\u0430 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0435\u0301\u0445\u0430\u043b\u0430<\/strong>\u00a0(we know which car is mentioned). \u2013\u00a0\u041f\u0440\u0438\u0435\u0301\u0445\u0430\u043b\u0430 \u043c\u0430\u0448\u0438\u0301\u043d\u0430<\/strong> (it hasn\u2019t been established which car is mentioned or perhaps the speaker wants to put the stress on the car and intrigue the listener on whose car it is).<\/li>\n
  2. Imperative sentences also employ both direct and indirect word order. If the subject of the sentence is a pronoun that precedes the verb, the tone of the order, advice, or suggestion is stricter and more adamant than if the verb comes first. Compare the following sentences:
    \n\u0410 \u0442\u044b \u043d\u0435 \u0441\u043c\u0435\u0439 \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043a\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0441 \u043e\u0442\u0446\u043e\u0301\u043c!<\/strong> (Don\u2019t you dare talk back to your father!)
    \n\u041d\u0435 \u0437\u0430\u0431\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0301\u0439 \u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f\u0301, \u043c\u043e\u0439 \u043c\u0438\u0301\u043b\u044b\u0439 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433.<\/strong> (Do not forget me, my dearest friend.)<\/li>\n
  3. The inverse word order is common in works of literature, especially in the following cases:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n