{"id":8961,"date":"2016-04-11T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2016-04-11T07:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=8961"},"modified":"2016-04-11T02:20:08","modified_gmt":"2016-04-11T02:20:08","slug":"five-ways-your-first-language-is-messing-with-your-russian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/five-ways-your-first-language-is-messing-with-your-russian\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Ways Your First Language Is Messing With Your Russian"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"puzzle\"<\/a>

Image from pixabay.com<\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

1. “How do you know?”<\/h2>\n

When asking about the source of someone else’s information, you may be tempted to say, “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u0442\u044b \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c?<\/del>” \u041a\u0430\u043a is “how,” after all. However, in Russian, “\u043a\u0430\u043a” is used to talk about the manner in which something is done, for example, “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u0442\u044b \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c \u043c\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043c\u0430\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0443?” “\u0425\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0448\u043e” (“How [well] do you know mathematics?” “Well.”).<\/p>\n

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 “\u043e\u0442\u043a\u0443\u0434\u0430” (“where from”). Example: “\u041e\u0442\u043a\u0443\u0434\u0430 \u0442\u044b \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c \u0421\u0435\u0440\u0433\u0435\u044f?” “\u041c\u044b \u0443\u0447\u0438\u043b\u0438\u0441\u044c \u0432\u043c\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0435” (“How do you know Sergey?” “We studied together.”).<\/p>\n

2. “Why?”<\/h2>\n

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, “\u041f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443<\/del>?” does not work this way. “\u041f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443” asks for\u00a0the causes of a situation. If we need to ask about the reason for the person asking, we say just that — “\u041f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443 \u0442\u044b \u0441\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0448\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c?” (“Why do you ask?”) or “\u041f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443 \u0432\u0430\u0441 \u044d\u0442\u043e \u0438\u043d\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0441\u0443\u0435\u0442?” (“Why does this interest you?”) For example:<\/p>\n

— \u0422\u044b \u0438\u0434\u0435\u0448\u044c \u0437\u0430\u0432\u0442\u0440\u0430 \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u043e\u043d\u0446\u0435\u0440\u0442? (Are you going to the concert tomorrow?)<\/p>\n

— \u0414\u0430. \u041f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443 \u0442\u044b \u0441\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0448\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c? (Yes, I am. Why?)<\/p>\n

3. “Young Children”<\/h2>\n
\"young

Image from pexels.com<\/p><\/div>\n

If you look up “young” (or its equivalent in another language) in a dictionary, you will find “\u043c\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u043e\u0439.” However, that’s not the whole story. “\u041c\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0430\u044f” 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\u00a0the word\u00a0“\u043c\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u044b\u0435” can apply to would probably need to be post-pubescent. Young children are called “\u043c\u0430\u043b\u0435\u043d\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0435” (small).<\/p>\n

“\u0412 \u043c\u0430\u0433\u0430\u0437\u0438\u043d \u0437\u0430\u0448\u043b\u0430 \u043c\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0430\u044f \u0434\u0435\u0432\u0443\u0448\u043a\u0430” (“A young girl\/woman walked into the store”<\/span>).<\/p>\n

“\u041c\u0430\u043b\u0435\u043d\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0445 \u0434\u0435\u0442\u0435\u0439 \u043d\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0437\u044f \u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u043b\u044f\u0442\u044c \u0431\u0435\u0437 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0441\u043c\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0430” (“Young children should not be left unsupervised”).<\/p>\n

4. “Student”<\/h2>\n

“\u0421\u0442\u0443\u0434\u0435\u043d\u0442” may or may not be a false friend of the English “student.” “\u0421\u0442\u0443\u0434\u0435\u043d\u0442” can only describe a person getting a post-secondary education. For primary\/secondary education, we say “\u0443\u0447\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043a” (student\/pupil) or “\u0448\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u043a” (schoolgoer — note that “\u0448\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430” in Russian cannot refer to a university).<\/p>\n

“\u0421\u0442\u0443\u0434\u0435\u043d\u0442\u044b \u0441\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0430\u043b\u0438 \u0443\u0441\u043f\u0435\u0448\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u043b\u043e\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435” (“College students have created a successful app”).<\/p>\n

“\u0412 \u044d\u0442\u043e\u0439 \u0448\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0435 3000 \u0443\u0447\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0432” (“This grade school has 3000 pupils”).<\/p>\n

5. “Be able to”<\/h2>\n
\"bicycle\"

Image from pexels.com<\/p><\/div>\n

When we talk about acquired skills, in English we say “I\u00a0can\u00a0<\/em>do something” — bike, ski, swim and so on. Other languages may have a similar construction with the word for “know.” If you say “\u042f \u043c\u043e\u0433\u0443 \u043f\u043b\u0430\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c” (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 “\u0443\u043c\u0435\u0442\u044c”:<\/p>\n

“\u041c\u044b \u0443\u043c\u0435\u0435\u043c \u043a\u0430\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u0432\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0438\u043f\u0435\u0434\u0435” (We can ride a bicycle).<\/p>\n

“\u0421\u043f\u043e\u0440\u0442\u0441\u043c\u0435\u043d \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0447\u0438\u043b \u0442\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043c\u0443 \u0438 \u043d\u0435 \u043c\u043e\u0436\u0435\u0442 \u043a\u0430\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u043b\u044b\u0436\u0430\u0445” (The athlete was injured and cannot ski).<\/p>\n

Are there any other constructions that are hard to remember in Russian, where you find yourself defaulting to your native syntax? Let us know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"bicycle\"

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…<\/p>\n

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