Thread: Help with translation

I took the cat to the vet

Google translate is giving me: Я взял кошку к ветеринару

Should it not be Я вёз кошку ... ? assuming I went by car? - And if I walked to the vet's would it be Я нёс кошку ? But I have a feeling this is wrong..

спасибо

I took the cat to the vet

If you went by a car - я вёз кошку к ветеринару If you mean a complete action, then: я отвёз кошку к ветеринару.
If you walked without a car - я (от)нёс кошку к ветеринару
If you say just 'I took the cat to the vet' - this is correct variant: Я взял кошку к ветеринару. Full version: Я взял кошку, чтобы отвести (without or by a car)/отвезти (only by a car) к ветеринару. But it is analog of PRESENT perfect of English.
If you wanna say in the past, this will be: Я относил/носил/отвозил кошку к ветеринару.
Отвозил = by car
Относил/носил - by walking

Я вёз ко́шку к ветерина́ру — ‘I was transporting the cat to the vet.’
Я отвёз ко́шку к ветерина́ру — ‘I took the cat to the vet (and haven’t taken it back yet).’
Я свози́л ко́шку к ветерина́ру — ‘I took the cat to the vet (and have already taken it back).’

Я свози́л ко́шку к ветерена́ру

Свозил=отвёз, they are synonyms in some cases. I can say "Я отвёз кошку к ветеринару" and keep in mind that I have taken it back. It depends on the context.
Я отвёз кошку к ветеринару и там мне сказали, что она больна, и сейчас она уже дома = Я свозил кошку к ветеринару и там мне сказали, что она больна, и сейчас она уже дома

Свозил sounds more unofficial.

But if you haven't taken it back, there can be only отвёз/отнёс.

Thanks Soft sign

The only thing that confuses me is that свозил is the imperfective. Since this is a completed action - I took the cat to the vet, it got treated and now I've taken it home (sorry - that was my sense which I didn't make clear) - should this not be perfective? Я свёз кошку к ветерена́ру? Why imperfective?

спасибо

Originally Posted by justinwyllie

Thanks Soft sign

The only thing that confuses me is that свозил is the imperfective. Since this is a completed action - I took the cat to the vet, it got treated and now I've taken it home (sorry - that was my sense which I didn't make clear) - should this not be perfective? Я свёз кошку к ветерена́ру? Why imperfective?

спасибо

Свозил is perfective.
Отвёз also is perfective.

"I took the cat" - it's is imperfective in english and in russian.
I took the cat to the vet - я возил (вчера, год назад) кошку к ветеринару.
If i'm not doing mistake, "i took" in English = imperfective (= I took yesterday, a year ago...) and also in Russian "возил/водил кошку" is imperfective but can sounds as perfective if it's a difficult sentence like:
"I took the cat to the vet, it got treated and now I've taken it home" - "я возил кошку к ветеринару, её вылечили и сейчас я привёз её обратно домой". Depending on the context, this sentence in russian can be both in "present pefect" and "past simple" meanings.
Ты свозил кошку к ветеринару? - Да, я возил кошку к ветеринару, её вылечили и сейчас она уже дома.
In this sentence you can use both возил and отвёз, and even отвозил - it will be synonyms. Отвёз is perfective, возил and отвозил is imperfective, just use отвёз for do not to confuse yourself if action is completed recently and отвозил/возил if this action was long ago (yesterday, a year ago..). Just sometimes russians can use imperfective verbs in perfective sentences))