Thread: Quick question

If I want to say "The rich are becoming richer more quickly than the poor." is the following sentence OK:

Богатые становятся богатее быстрее бедных. ?

I think it's grammatically sound, but with the lack of nouns (богатые and бедные imply богатые and бедные люди) and all the words beginning with Б I'm wondering whether it sounds awkward.

Спасибо заранее.

Originally Posted by Ryan91

Богатые богатеют быстрее бедных.

There are no any problems with the words beginning with Б.

Ой, очень полезный глагол. Вам большое спасибо ещё раз!

Education is the key to freedom from poverty - Образование - ключ к свободе от бедности. Does that sound normal in Russian, or does it need to be reformed?

Originally Posted by Ryan91

Education is the key to freedom from poverty - Образование - это ключ к свободе от бедности. Does that sound normal in Russian, or does it need to be reformed?

To me, it doesn't sound fine.
Well, maybe I'd reform it this way: Образование - это ключ к успеху.
It's not very close to the original, but sounds much better...

OK, I'm glad to hear that the 'ключ к + dative' construction is suitable here. I could use the word 'success,' but unfortunately it detracts from the point I want to convey: that education enables people to escape poverty by virtue of the opportunities it creates. Any alternatives?

EDIT: How about "Образование - это ключ к победить бедность"? Can you place an infinitive verb after the к?

Originally Posted by Ryan91

I could use the word 'success,' but unfortunately it detracts from the point I want to convey: that education enables people to escape poverty by virtue of the opportunities it creates. Any alternatives?

Yes, I saw your point, I just couldn't think out a convenient sentence... Well, since your variant is grammatically correct, maybe to other native speakers it sounds ok, but... not to me.

I'd suggest, for example, this variant: Образование позволяет людям избежать бедности.

EDIT: How about "Образование - это ключ к победить бедность"? Can you place an infinitive verb after the к?

No, ключ к + verb doesn't work.

Образование позволяет людям избежать бедности fits nicely. Thank you, Olya.

Originally Posted by Ryan91

Education is the key to freedom from poverty - Образование - ключ к свободе от бедности. Does that sound normal in Russian, or does it need to be reformed?

By the way, in Russia that is not really true. You can have a degree or a professional job and still be poor. Education is not the solution to poverty in Russia; Russia already has a really good education system and high university attendance.

Where did I say I was talking about Russia?

Originally Posted by Ryan91

Where did I say I was talking about Russia?

Just in case
When you learn Russian teachers tend to get you to write about social issues in Russia.

Originally Posted by Ryan91

EDIT: How about "Образование - это ключ к победить бедность"? Can you place an infinitive verb after the к?

By the way, "Образование - это способ победить бедность" is correct and sounds fine.

Indeed. I'm sure we can agree, though, that anyone in any social circumstances stands a better chance (if only very marginally better) of prosperity if they are educated than if they are not.

Was it the Dalai Lama who said "only the educated are free"? It might have been Ghandi...

EDIT: Thanks, Olya. The construction you gave me earlier is perfect, though.

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by Ryan91

EDIT: How about "Образование - это ключ к победить бедность"? Can you place an infinitive verb after the к?

By the way, "Образование - это способ победить бедность" is correct and sounds fine.

If you still want to use "ключ к ...", here's an alternative version:

Образование - это ключ к победе над бедностью.
As for me, it sounds too pompous, but grammatically correct.

You just cannot combine verbal infinitives with prepositions Verbs cannot have prepositions, therefore you need a noun here.

Yeah, I assumed that a preposition followed by a verb was incorrect, but I thought I'd throw the idea out there. I doubt I can accurately perceive the style of Russian sentences, but победa над бедностью sounds like a proud proclamation from a spiritual leader to me, and hence, as you say, a bit pompous. I try to make my essays eloquent but not too high-flown.

Originally Posted by Ryan91

Yeah, I assumed that a preposition followed by a verb was incorrect, but I thought I'd throw the idea out there. I doubt I can accurately perceive the style of Russian sentences, but победa над бедностью sounds like a proud proclamation from a spiritual leader to me, and hence, as you say, a bit pompous. I try to make my essays eloquent but not too high-flown.

I agree with you, you perception is right.

But that was just to illustrate the grammar point.

At the end of the '80s - В конце 80-ых годов or лет?

Originally Posted by Ryan91

At the end of the '80s - В конце 80-_х годов or лет?

There is no ы. Годов is correct. Just "в конце 80-х" is correct too.

Thanks once again, Olya.

Originally Posted by Ryan91

At the end of the '80s - В конце 80-ых годов or лет?

Normally the genitive plural of год is лет, but when talking about decades the form годов is used.