{"id":872,"date":"2010-05-21T16:51:23","date_gmt":"2010-05-21T16:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=872"},"modified":"2014-07-16T20:08:06","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T20:08:06","slug":"unraveling-a-possessive-pronoun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/unraveling-a-possessive-pronoun\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00ab\u0421\u0432\u043e\u0439 \u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a\u00bb: Unraveling a Possessive Pronoun"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [one\u2019s; his; her; their] is a \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u0442\u044f\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0435<\/strong>\u043c\u0435\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0438\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [possessive pronoun] just like \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [my], \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [your (singular)<\/em>], \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0448<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [our], \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432\u0430\u0448<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [your (plural)<\/em>], \u00ab<\/strong>\u0435\u0433\u043e<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [his], \u00ab<\/strong>\u0435\u0451<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [her] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0438\u0445<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [their]. Not all languages have this possessive pronoun \u2013 shout out to all you proud native speakers of English! \u2013 and that\u2019s why it is not always clear when to use \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> and when to use one of the others. Sometimes you might even wonder why Russian language would even need this possessive pronoun, when it has all the ones that English has and English seems to do just fine without \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong>. Well, that\u2019s a whole other conversation and for now I advice us all just to make peace with the fact that it exists and try to learn how to use it correctly. The key is to remember the following rule: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> is used when the possessor is the SUBJECT of the sentence. \u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> changes according to the six cases of Russian languages very much like any other usual adjective ending on \u00ab-<\/strong>\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong>. Let\u2019s have a look at a couple of examples of how to properly use \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u042f<\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0440\u0443<\/span><\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u0441\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u043a\u0443<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [I take my<\/em> bag].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0422\u044b<\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0440\u0451<\/span>\u0448\u044c<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u0441\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u043a\u0443<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [You take your<\/em> bag].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041e\u043d\u0430<\/span><\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0440\u0451<\/span>\u0442<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u0441\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u043a\u0443<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [She takes her<\/em> bag].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041e\u043d<\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0440\u0451<\/span>\u0442<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u0441\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u043a\u0443<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [He takes his <\/em>bag].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u044b<\/strong>\u0437\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u043c<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0451<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u043e<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [We know our <\/em>thing].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u044b<\/strong>\u0437\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0442\u0435<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0451<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u043e<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [You know your <\/em>thing].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041e\u043d\u0438<\/strong>\u0437\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u044e\u0442<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0451<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u043e<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [They know their<\/em> thing].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u043e\u0437\u044c\u043c\u0438<\/span><\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/em><\/strong>\u0447\u0435\u043a<\/strong>!\u00bb<\/strong> [Take (singular) your<\/em> receipt!]<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u043e\u0437\u044c\u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/em><\/strong>\u0447\u0435\u043a<\/strong>!\u00bb<\/strong> [Take (plural) your<\/em> receipt!]<\/p>\n

I know what you\u2019re all wondering now: What happens to the sentence \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span><\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0440\u0451<\/span>\u0442<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span><\/strong>\u0441\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u043a\u0443<\/strong>\u00bb <\/strong>if we replace \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> with \u00ab<\/strong>\u0435\u0451<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [her]? To the untrained eye these two possessive pronouns both mean one and the same thing (especially when seen in translation)<\/em>: HER. Russian language is not that easy for the sentence \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span><\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0440\u0451<\/span>\u0442<\/strong>\u0435\u0451<\/span><\/strong>\u0441\u0443<\/span>\u043c\u043a\u0443<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [she takes her bag] will come to mean that she takes someone else\u2019s bag, a bag belonging to another woman. \u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> can thus save this poor unnamed woman from being suspected of the theft connected with using \u00ab<\/strong>\u0435\u0451<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> in the last sentence (maybe she’s actually just trying to be helpful)<\/em>. Compare also the two following sentences:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041e\u043d \u043f\u043e\u0437\u0432\u043e\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043b \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0435\u043c\u0443<\/span><\/em> \u0431\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0443\u00bb<\/strong> [He called his (own)<\/em> brother].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041e\u043d<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0437\u0432\u043e\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043b<\/strong>\u0435\u0433\u043e<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0443<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [He called his (somebody else\u2019s)<\/em> brother].<\/p>\n

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But when to use \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> instead of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> when speaking about oneself? That\u2019s even trickier because the rule about always using \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> when the possessor is also the SUBJECT of the sentence is not always followed by Russians themselves in colloquial speech. Russians often use \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> when the possessor and subject of the sentence is \u00ab<\/strong>\u044f<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> when the possessor and subject is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u044b<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong>. See for yourselves:<\/p>\n

This is correct: \u00ab<\/strong>\u042f<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0437\u0432\u043e\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043b<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0439<\/em><\/strong>\u0441\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [I called my<\/em> sister].<\/p>\n

This is common: \u00ab<\/strong>\u042f<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0437\u0432\u043e\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043b<\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0439<\/em><\/strong>\u0441\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [I called my<\/em> sister].<\/p>\n

This is correct: \u00ab\u0422\u044b \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u0447\u0438\u043b \u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span><\/em> \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u0443?\u00bb<\/strong> [Have you finished your<\/em> work?]<\/p>\n

This is common: \u00ab\u0422\u044b \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u0447\u0438\u043b \u0442\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span><\/em> \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u0443?\u00bb<\/strong> [Have you finished your<\/em> work?]<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the trickiest part of all: in Russian possessive pronouns are not used when speaking about family members and relatives. That\u2019s why the first two sentences are not correct at all \u2013 well, they\u2019re alright grammatically and can be easily understood, but after all they have the word \u2018sister\u2019<\/em> in them, so you should just go ahead and skip any pronoun whatsoever: \u00ab<\/strong>\u042f<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0437\u0432\u043e\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043b<\/strong>\u0441\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [I called my<\/em> sister]. The same goes for family words like \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0442<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [brother], \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0446<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [father], \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [mother], \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0447\u044c<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [daughter], \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u044b\u043d<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [son], \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0443\u0436<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [husband] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [wife]. Sometimes the leaving out of possessive pronouns will make a simple foreigner confused. Read this sentence for example:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u0447\u0435\u0440\u0430<\/span><\/strong>\u043e\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0446<\/strong>\u0441\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043b<\/strong>\u0432<\/strong>\u043a\u0438\u043d\u043e<\/span><\/strong>\u0441<\/strong>\u0441\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [Yesterday my<\/em> father went to the movies with (his or my?) <\/em>sister].<\/p>\n

In such cases as that one all you can truly hope for is that the context around the sentence will bring some clarity into whether the speaker\u2019s father went to the movies with the speaker\u2019s sister or with his own sister. Or ask them to use a possessive pronoun in which case you\u2019ll hear one of the following two:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u0447\u0435\u0440\u0430<\/span><\/strong>\u043e\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0446<\/strong>\u0441\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043b<\/strong>\u0432<\/strong>\u043a\u0438\u043d\u043e<\/span><\/strong>\u0441\u043e<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0439<\/em><\/strong>\u0441\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [Yesterday my<\/em> father went to the movies with his<\/em> sister].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u0447\u0435\u0440\u0430<\/span><\/strong>\u043e\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0446<\/strong>\u0441\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043b<\/strong>\u0432<\/strong>\u043a\u0438\u043d\u043e<\/span><\/strong>\u0441<\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0439<\/em><\/strong>\u0441\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [Yesterday my<\/em> father went to the movies with my<\/em> sister].<\/p>\n

Because father is both the subject and the possessor in the first sentence, you have to use \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong>. But in the second sentence father is only the subject, whereas the person speaking is the \u2018possessor\u2019 of the sister. Got it?<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> is also used in Russian with the meaning of ‘one’s own’<\/em>, when paired together with the subject of the sentence. This is not that hard. Think of how Virginia Woolf\u2019s \u201cA Room of One\u2019s Own\u201d<\/a> is translated into Russian as \u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u0432\u043e\u044f<\/span><\/strong>\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u043d\u0430\u0442\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [lit.:<\/em> \u201cA Room of One\u2019s Own\u201d]. Sometimes it is also translated as \u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435\u043d\u043d\u0430\u044f<\/strong>\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u043d\u0430\u0442\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> – but the difference between these two titles is so small that it is really only a matter of taste which one you personally prefer. Have a look at a couple of examples:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0423<\/strong>\u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u044f<\/span><\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [I have a car of my own].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0423<\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0441<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u043c<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [We have a house of our own].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0423<\/strong>\u0432\u0441\u044f<\/span>\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/strong>\u0432\u043a\u0443\u0441<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [Everybody has their own taste].<\/p>\n

And now for a question to the attentive reader \u2013 or just a reader not so attentive but keen on expressing \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0451<\/span><\/strong>\u043c\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> [one’s; his; her; their opinion] \u2013 what is more positive: when Russians call you: a) \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u0439<\/em><\/strong>\u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u043a<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong>; or b) \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0448<\/em><\/strong>\u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong>? Or are both of them equally positive?<\/p>\n

P.S. I don\u2019t know the right answer \u2013 that\u2019s why I\u2019m asking! I\u2019ve been called mostly \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> in Russia as a compliment, rarely \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u043e\u044f<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong>\u2026 But somehow they both sound equally good to my ears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

\u00ab\u0421\u0432\u043e\u0439\u00bb [one\u2019s; his; her; their] is a \u00ab\u043f\u0440\u0438\u0442\u044f\u0436\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0435\u043c\u0435\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0438\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435\u00bb [possessive pronoun] just like \u00ab\u043c\u043e\u0439\u00bb [my], \u00ab\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0439\u00bb [your (singular)], \u00ab\u043d\u0430\u0448\u00bb [our], \u00ab\u0432\u0430\u0448\u00bb [your (plural)], \u00ab\u0435\u0433\u043e\u00bb [his], \u00ab\u0435\u0451\u00bb [her] and \u00ab\u0438\u0445\u00bb [their]. Not all languages have this possessive pronoun \u2013 shout out to all you proud native speakers of English! \u2013 and that\u2019s why it is not always…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8,7828,995],"tags":[8957,8955,3352,3353,1237,8958,8956,8950,8951,8952,8954,8953],"class_list":["post-872","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","category-russian-for-beginners","category-soviet-union","tag-one-of-our-own","tag-ones-own","tag-possessive-pronoun","tag-possessive-pronouns","tag-russian-grammar","tag-russian-langauage","tag-yuri-gagarin","tag-8950","tag-8951","tag-8952","tag-8954","tag-8953"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872","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\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6161,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872\/revisions\/6161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}