Thread: Должен gender confusion....

I am confusing myself with the gender stuff... It's really confusing if you are not used to it!

This is a very simple question but suddenly I feel unsure... !

Я должен ему позвонить вечером.
(is должен relating to "ему" or "я" ....? If the speaker is a woman, could she say this, because she is referring to a man? Or should she say "должна" because she is a woman...?

Same thing with this sentence. A man says:
"Я думаю что моей жене нужен врач".
I know this is correct because it's from an example sentence... нужен refers to the doctor and not the wife. But this was confusing at first and it's easy to think that it should be "нужна" because it's a woman that needs something. Hmmmm....

Oh yes! Of course!! ! I am just tired and unfocused.

My examples aren't even related. The whole comparison is nonsense.

So only a man could say the first sentence.

Ok

First, you need to simplify the sentences.

Я должен. - I am supposed to/obliged/must
Я думаю. - I think

Second, the word должен is the "predicate adjective" in the short form. It is usually followed by various complements. So it agrees with the subject by gender and number.

Я должен. - I am supposed to (said by a male)
Я должна. - I am supposed to (said by a female)
Мы должны. - We are obliged (plural)

Other predicate adjectives similar to должен are:

рад - glad
готов -ready
намерен - intend to
способен - capable

hello, Hanna. I'm russian my English is bad, but I'm studying it now

(is должен relating to "ему" or "я" ....? If the speaker is a woman, could she say this, because she is referring to a man? Or should she say "должна" because she is a woman...?

word "должен" is relating to "я" in this case -> so if the speaker is a woman, she could say "должна"

I know this is correct because it's from an example sentence... нужен refers to the doctor and not the wife. But this was confusing at first and it's easy to think that it should be "нужна" because it's a woman that needs something. Hmmmm....

here the word "врач" is Masculine gender , so it should be "нужен"
if instead of the word "врач" was the word, for example, "машина" which is Feminine gender, then it should be "нужна".

I hope, this was helpful for u and good luck with studying