{"id":2338,"date":"2011-09-23T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2011-09-23T08:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=2338"},"modified":"2014-07-17T17:25:56","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T17:25:56","slug":"what-would-yoda-say-in-russian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/what-would-yoda-say-in-russian\/","title":{"rendered":"What Would Yoda Say?"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Have you ever wondered how to start or finish a sentence to make it sound right? Have you ever asked yourself \u201cShould I start with a subject, an object, or a verb? What if I mess up your word order? Would that make me sound silly? Would it turn my hard-thought sentence into something with a \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0438\u0430\u043c\u0435\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0442\u0438\u0432\u043e\u043f\u043e\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043d\u044b\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [totally opposite] meaning?\u201d<\/p>\n

I asked myself these questions countless times when I was learning English. Word order in English sentences is still a bane of my linguistic existence even though spoken American English tends to be fairly forgiving.<\/p>\n

The great news for the learners of Russian is that \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0440\u044f<\/span>\u0434\u043e\u043a <\/strong>\u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c <\/strong>\u044f\u0437\u044b\u043a\u0435<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [word order in Russian language] is generally very flexible. \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u043e\u0434\u043b\u0435\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u0449\u0435\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [subject] can be placed either before or after \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0443<\/span>\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [predicate].<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see how this works in real-life sentences:<\/p>\n

Whether you say \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0438 <\/strong>\u0438\u0433\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> or \u00ab<\/strong>\u0438\u0433\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442 <\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0438 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0435\u00bb<\/strong>, the meaning is the same – \u201cchildren are playing at a park\u201d.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another example. A classic Russian tongue-twister goes like this \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u043b\u0430 <\/strong>\u0421\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0430 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e <\/strong>\u0448\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u2026\u00bb<\/strong> [Sasha walked down the road]. You could easily change it to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0430 <\/strong>\u0448\u043b\u0430 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e <\/strong>\u0448\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong>, placing the predicate \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u043b\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [walked] after the subject \u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [Sasha]. You will lose the rhythm, but not the meaning.<\/p>\n

But what if you need to ask a question? Should you arrange a subject and a predicate in any special way then? Nope! Just add a question mark at the end and you\u2019re almost good to go.<\/p>\n

I say \u201calmost\u201d because you also need to place a proper \u00ab<\/strong>\u0438\u043d\u0442\u043e\u043d\u0430\u0446\u0438\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u0443\u0434\u0430\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [intonational accent]. How do you know which word \u00ab<\/strong>\u0430\u043a\u0446\u0435\u043d\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [to emphasize] or lay stress on? It will depend on what it is you are trying to find out. Let\u2019s look at a simple example:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0430 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [Mom went to a store] – this is an affirmative statement<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0430 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043d?\u00bb<\/strong> [Did Mom go to a store?] is a general form of a question.<\/p>\n

In the examples that follow, I\u2019m going to underline the entire word to show that it is emphasized:<\/p>\n

Now, if you would like to know who went to the store, you\u2019ll ask<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0430\u043c\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0430 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438\u043d?\u00bb<\/strong> [Was it Mom who went to the store?]<\/p>\n

The answer in this case would be \u00ab<\/strong>\u0414\u0430, <\/strong>\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [Yes, it was Mom] or maybe \u00ab<\/strong>\u041d\u0435\u0442, <\/strong>\u043e\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0446 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u0451<\/span>\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [No, it was Dad].<\/p>\n

If, instead, you want to know where Mom went, it\u2019d go like this<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0430\u043c\u0430 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0430 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438\u043d?<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [Was it the store Mom went to?]<\/p>\n

And the answer you might expect is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0414\u0430, <\/strong>\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [Yes, she went to a store] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u041d\u0435\u0442, <\/strong>\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043a <\/strong>\u0441\u043e\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u043a\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [No, she went to a neighbor].<\/p>\n

Finally, if you want to make sure that Mom left on her shopping trip and is indeed out of the house, you will ask<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0430\u043c\u0430 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438\u043d?\u00bb<\/strong> [Has Mom gone to the store?]<\/p>\n

Possible answers include \u00ab<\/strong>\u0414\u0430, <\/strong>\u0443\u0436\u0435<\/span> <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [Yes, she\u2019s already left] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u041d\u0435\u0442 <\/strong>\u0435\u0449\u0451<\/span>, <\/strong>\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u043f\u0438\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0442 <\/strong>\u0447\u0430\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [No yet, she\u2019s just finishing her tea].<\/p>\n

Do you see the pattern here? You emphasize the part of the sentence for which you want clarification or additional information.<\/p>\n

Of course, very few real-life sentences are so simple. Most are at least a few words longer. They include all sorts of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0435\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0447\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044b <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u043b\u043e\u0436\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [subordinate parts of sentence], such as adverbial modifiers, objective complements, attributive adjectives and scores of prepositions and conjunctions, to name a few.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some flexibility here as well. For example:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0430 <\/strong>\u0440\u0435\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0430, <\/strong>\u0447\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u043f\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u044b <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0439\u0434\u0451<\/span>\u0442 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [Mom decided that after work she\u2019d go to a store] can be re-shuffled into<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041c\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0430 \u0440\u0435\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0430, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0439\u0434\u0451<\/span>\u0442 \u0432 \u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043d \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043b\u0435 \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> without the loss of meaning.<\/p>\n

However, changing it to<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u044b <\/strong>\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0430 <\/strong>\u0440\u0435\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0430, <\/strong>\u0447\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0439\u0434\u0451<\/span>\u0442 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> changes the meaning to \u201cAfter work Mom decided to go to a store\u201d.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another one:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0414\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0438 <\/strong>\u0438\u0433\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0438 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0444\u0443\u0442\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u043b <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043a\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u0451<\/span>\u043b <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0436\u0434\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [Children played soccer until it started raining]<\/p>\n

would retain its meaning when changed to<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u043e\u043a\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u0451<\/span>\u043b <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0436\u0434\u044c <\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0438 <\/strong>\u0438\u0433\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0438 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0444\u0443\u0442\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> as well as \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0438, <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043a\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u0451<\/span>\u043b <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0436\u0434\u044c, <\/strong>\u0438\u0433\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0438 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0444\u0443\u0442\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> or even \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0438 <\/strong>\u0438\u0433\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0438, <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043a\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0448\u0451<\/span>\u043b <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0436\u0434\u044c, <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0444\u0443\u0442\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> (although this last one is decidedly less common way of saying it).<\/p>\n

However, the flexibility of the word order in Russian language has its limits. Go too far and you start sounding funny or confusing, such as in this ad (courtesy of Tveedo.ru<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00ab999 – <\/strong>\u043e\u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u043c\u0438\u043a\u0441\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0430 <\/strong>\u0434\u043b\u044f <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0439 <\/strong>\u0438\u0437 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0445 <\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u043c\u043f\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0442\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> \u00a0[999 – a health-improving formula for children made with natural ingredients]<\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019ve seen children made of artificial ingredients this ad makes very little sense. It would\u2019ve benefited from some changes, such as<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u2026 <\/strong>\u043e\u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u043c\u0438\u043a\u0441\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0430 <\/strong>\u0438\u0437 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0445 <\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u043c\u043f\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0442\u043e\u0432 <\/strong>\u0434\u043b\u044f <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [health-improving formula made with natural ingredients for children]<\/p>\n

Or you might end up speaking like \u00ab\u0419\u043e\u0434\u0430\u00bb [Yoda] – the meaning is there, but it sounds strange:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0413\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043a\u0430\u043a \u0419\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u0430 \u0441\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u0448\u044c \u0442\u044b \u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [Speak like Yoda can you even].<\/p>\n

If you are not sure of the word order, you have two options:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Use short simple sentences. The fewer words you use, the lesser your chance at getting it wrong.<\/li>\n
  2. Play it safe by placing subordinate parts of the sentence next to the words they depend on.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you need practice, try to figure out which word should be emphasized in the following sentences to fit the suggested answers (first, you need to change them from statements into questions):<\/p>\n

    Basic sentence: \u00ab<\/strong>\u041a\u043e\u0442 <\/strong>\u0432\u0441\u0451 <\/strong>\u0441\u044a\u0435\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [Cat ate all the food]<\/p>\n

    Answer 1: \u00ab<\/strong>\u041a\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u043e <\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u0442, <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0445\u043e\u043c\u044f<\/span>\u043a <\/strong>\u0436\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [Of course it was the cat and not the hamster]<\/p>\n

    Answer 2: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0414\u0430, <\/strong>\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0436\u0435 <\/strong>\u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0441\u043a\u0443 <\/strong>\u0432\u044b<\/span>\u043b\u0438\u0437\u0430\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [Yes, he even licked the bowl clean]<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Basic sentence: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0422\u0435\u0431\u0435<\/span> <\/strong>\u043d\u0443<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u043d <\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [You need a hammer]<\/p>\n

    Answer 1: \u00ab\u0410 \u043a\u043e\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u0435\u0449\u0451<\/span>, \u041f\u0443<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0438\u043d\u0443 \u0447\u0442\u043e<\/span>-\u043b\u0438?\u00bb<\/strong> [Yes, or do you think Pushkin needs it?]<\/p>\n

    Answer 2: \u00ab\u041d\u0435\u0442, \u0443\u0436\u0435<\/span> \u043d\u0435 \u043d\u0443<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u043d. \u0422\u0430\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043e\u0432 \u0432\u043e\u043e\u0431\u0449\u0435<\/span> \u0443\u0434\u043e<\/span>\u0431\u043d\u0435\u0435 \u0434\u0430\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0443\u0432\u044c\u044e\u00bb<\/strong> [No, I don\u2019t need it. And anyway, it\u2019s better to use a shoe to squish a roach]<\/p>\n

    Answer 3: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0414\u0430, <\/strong>\u043d\u043e <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043c <\/strong>\u0435\u0449\u0451<\/span> <\/strong>\u0431\u0443<\/span>\u0434\u0435\u0442 <\/strong>\u043d\u0443\u0436\u043d\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0434\u0440\u0435\u043b\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [Yes, but then I will also need a drill]<\/p>\n

    And if this is too easy, then try to speak like Yoda, but in Russian.<\/p>\n

    Ever been stumped by how to say something in Russian? Leave your question in the comments and we\u2019ll help you out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

    Have you ever wondered how to start or finish a sentence to make it sound right? Have you ever asked yourself \u201cShould I start with a subject, an object, or a verb? What if I mess up your word order? Would that make me sound silly? Would it turn my hard-thought sentence into something…<\/p>\n

    Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":2339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8,7828],"tags":[60785,1237,60781,60782,60784,60780,60783],"class_list":["post-2338","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","category-russian-for-beginners","tag-asking-questions-in-russian","tag-russian-grammar","tag-russian-sentence","tag-russian-sentence-structure","tag-russian-yoda","tag-word-order-in-russian","tag-yoda-speaks-russian"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338","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\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2338"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11275,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338\/revisions\/11275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}