Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 90

Thread: Verbs of motion

  1. #1
    JackBoni
    Guest

    Verbs of motion

    I'm here to ask the probably age old question of how Russian verbs of motion work. At the moment, I am writing sentence to do with "going" somewhere and just guess which verb form should be used. I've read through Nicholas Brown's explanation of it in the Penguin Beginner's Course in Russian or whatever it's called, but I still can't seem to get it right 100% of the time.

    I'll write a few examples, and my logic as to why they should be that way:

    Я вчера ходил в кино, чтобы посмотреть фильм - logic of verb choice - it's a general statement that needs a journey there and journey back, so I use the imperfective multidirectional verb, right?

    Я часто езжу с подугой в Германию - a trip that involves two directions, so multidirectional, right?

    Он лечит в Россию, чтобы ехать к бабушке - the first verb is specific, so it is undirectional. The infinitive in the second clause is undirectional for the same reason...?

    Спасибо большое за объяснения
    Джек

  2. #2
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russland
    Posts
    9,874
    Rep Power
    22

    Re: Verbs of motion

    Quote Originally Posted by JackBoni
    Я вчера ходил в кино, чтобы посмотреть фильм - logic of verb choice - it's a general statement that needs a journey there and journey back, so I use the imperfective multidirectional verb, right?
    I unfortunately can't explain the logic here, because it's my native language and I never think about logic using Russian verbs. But in this conrete case I have probably bad news for you:
    Я вчера ходил в кино, чтобы посмотреть фильм.
    and
    Я вчера сходил в кино, чтобы посмотреть фильм.
    the both are correct.
    Actually, the second one is more logical, but usually we use sentences like the first one.

    Я часто езжу с подругой в Германию - a trip that involves two directions, so multidirectional, right?
    I have some doubt about "two directions", I think it's just because you go there many times, so it's a periodic, a reiterative action.

    Он летит в Россию, чтобы навестить бабушку - the first verb is specific, so it is undirectional. The infinitive in the second clause is undirectional for the same reason...?
    It's летит and not летает because the action is non-permanent, it's the one and only

    But you can say: Он каждый год летает в Россию, чтобы навещать/навестить бабушку.
    In Russian, all nationalities and their corresponding languages start with a lower-case letter.

  3. #3
    JackBoni
    Guest
    Cпасибо за тебю помощь, Оля (или Олю?). Я думаю, что я теперь понимаю. Эти предложения также верные?

    Она вчера влетела в Лондон

    Он вас отвезёт на вокзал

    Вчера приехала моя сестра - Она теперь здесь

    Вчера приезжала моя сестра - но она поехала домой.

    Спасибо за помощь
    Джек

  4. #4
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russland
    Posts
    9,874
    Rep Power
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by JackBoni
    Cпасибо _ тебе за помощь, Оля (или Олю? No! I'm Оля! ). Я думаю, что я теперь понимаю. Эти предложения тоже верные (правильные is better here; as for также, it's very formal word in Russian)?

    Она вчера влетела в Лондон
    no, it could be улетела, полетела or вылетела (the meanings in this context are absolutely equal)

    Он вас отвезёт на вокзал

    Вчера приехала моя сестра - Она теперь здесь

    Вчера приезжала моя сестра - но она поехала домой.
    The rest is perfect!
    Although "Он отвезёт вас на вокзал" sounds a bit more natural to me.
    In Russian, all nationalities and their corresponding languages start with a lower-case letter.

  5. #5
    Старший оракул
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    937
    Rep Power
    16
    Quote Originally Posted by Оля
    Quote Originally Posted by JackBoni
    Она вчера влетела в Лондон
    no, it could be улетела, полетела or вылетела (the meanings in this context are absolutely equal)
    I think JackBoni meant прилетела.
    Налево пойдёшь - коня потеряешь, направо пойдёшь - сам голову сложишь.
    Прямой путь не предлагать!

  6. #6
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russland
    Posts
    9,874
    Rep Power
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by Полуношник
    I think JackBoni meant прилетела.
    Hah, yeah... maybe.
    In Russian, all nationalities and their corresponding languages start with a lower-case letter.

  7. #7
    Почётный участник
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Нью-Йорк
    Posts
    140
    Rep Power
    11
    I also have trouble with verbs of motion - which is why I usually stay in one place when I speak Russian.

    Anyway, don't verbs lose their sense of direction when you start adding prefixes (or, rather, the prefixes define the direction), so the verbs are either imperfective or perfective?

    So, if I understand it right - do соходил and сошел have the same meaning - just the former means it was a habitual action while the latter means it happened once?

    And how come you can't use влетела? Is that more specific to an object? Like: Мальчик бросиил камень и он влетел в окно?

  8. #8
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russland
    Posts
    9,874
    Rep Power
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli
    So, if I understand it right - do соходил and сошел have the same meaning - just the former means it was a habitual action while the latter means it happened once?
    There is no соходил, it's сходил.
    Actually yes, you're right, but сходил in "сходил с горы" and сходил in "сходил в кино" are not the same.

    And how come you can't use влетела? Is that more specific to an object? Like: Мальчик бросил камень, и он влетел в окно?
    Yes, we can use it, but not in that case. You can't "влететь в Лондон".
    In Russian, all nationalities and their corresponding languages start with a lower-case letter.

  9. #9
    JackBoni
    Guest
    Does the verb "влететь" mean "to fly into" in the sense of "The plane flew into the building".... (and as a result the building collapsed) - ie, does that verb represent a destructive action? If I get this wrong then it's probably quite funny...

    If not, why does влететь not work?

    Спасибо
    Джек

  10. #10
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russland
    Posts
    9,874
    Rep Power
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by JackBoni
    Does the verb "влететь" mean "to fly into" in the sense of "The plane flew into the building"....
    Yes, it does. Although we usually say "врезаться" in this case:
    Самолёт врезался в здание.
    In Russian, all nationalities and their corresponding languages start with a lower-case letter.

  11. #11
    JackBoni
    Guest
    Wow, so what I said was actually destructive... not a good idea - I'll look it up properly next time

    Спасибо за объяснение!
    Джек

  12. #12
    Moderator Lampada's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    СССР -> США
    Posts
    18,025
    Rep Power
    35
    Птичка влетела в комнату (через открытое окно).
    "...Важно, чтобы форум оставался местом, объединяющим людей, для которых интересны русский язык и культура. ..." - MasterАdmin (из переписки)



  13. #13
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    в моей стойке
    Posts
    566
    Rep Power
    12
    Quote Originally Posted by JackBoni
    Does the verb "влететь" mean "to fly into" in the sense of "The plane flew into the building".... (and as a result the building collapsed) -
    What an example.
    Correct my mistakes and I will give you +1 internets.

  14. #14
    Почётный участник
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Нью-Йорк
    Posts
    140
    Rep Power
    11
    Quote Originally Posted by Оля
    Quote Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli
    So, if I understand it right - do соходил and сошел have the same meaning - just the former means it was a habitual action while the latter means it happened once?
    There is no соходил, it's сходил.
    Actually yes, you're right, but сходил in "сходил с горы" and сходил in "сходил в кино" are not the same.
    Oops. Just a typo.

    Thanks to everyone for the explanations!

  15. #15
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Seventh
    Posts
    4,113
    Rep Power
    18
    Quote Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli
    Quote Originally Posted by Оля
    Quote Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli
    So, if I understand it right - do соходил and сошел have the same meaning - just the former means it was a habitual action while the latter means it happened once?
    There is no соходил, it's сходил.
    Actually yes, you're right, but сходил in "сходил с горы" and сходил in "сходил в кино" are not the same.
    Oops. Just a typo.

    Thanks to everyone for the explanations!
    Generally speaking when you add prefixes to verbs of motion they behave like normal verbs, i.e. the multidirectional prefixed verb becomes a normal imperfective, and the unidirectional prefixed verb becomes the perfective of the pair. However it's more complicated, but that works as a general rule.
    Ingenting kan stoppa mig
    In Post-Soviet Russia internet porn downloads YOU!

  16. #16
    Старший оракул
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Russia
    Posts
    865
    Rep Power
    29
    Quote Originally Posted by JackBoni
    Wow, so what I said was actually destructive... not a good idea - I'll look it up properly next time

    Спасибо за объяснение!
    Джек
    No, it's not necessarily destructive, as we see it from Lampada's example:
    Quote Originally Posted by Lampada
    Птичка влетела в комнату (через открытое окно).
    Just влететь in this context means "to fly into a closed space", you can
    влететь в комнату, влететь в окно, влететь внутрь, влететь в ворота (in football sense). But you cannot use this verb when you mean arriving to a place (city/country etc.) by plane.
    Just use прилететь for arriving by air. It's the same way as you use приехать (by arrive by riding), приплыть (to arrive by ship) or прийти (to arrive by foot) etc.

    London is not a closed 3-D space where you can fly inside it You just arrive to there.

  17. #17
    Старший оракул tohca's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    зарубежный
    Posts
    769
    Rep Power
    14
    Quote Originally Posted by Боб Уайтман
    Just влететь in this context means "to fly into a closed space", you can
    влететь в комнату, влететь в окно, влететь внутрь, влететь в ворота (in football sense). But you cannot use this verb when you mean arriving to a place (city/country etc.) by plane.
    Just use прилететь for arriving by air. It's the same way as you use приехать (by arrive by riding), приплыть (to arrive by ship) or прийти (to arrive by foot) etc.

    London is not a closed 3-D space where you can fly inside it You just arrive to there.
    Thanks for the very clear explanation and examples.
    Find out all about Malaysia here!

  18. #18
    Завсегдатай Ramil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Other Universe
    Posts
    8,499
    Rep Power
    30
    Ещё влететь можно на деньги Но это уже сленг.
    Send me a PM if you need me.

  19. #19
    Старший оракул tohca's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    зарубежный
    Posts
    769
    Rep Power
    14
    Quote Originally Posted by Ramil
    Ещё влететь можно на деньги Но это уже сленг.
    How do you translate this? Is it "there's still money to be made"?
    Find out all about Malaysia here!

  20. #20
    Завсегдатай Ramil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Other Universe
    Posts
    8,499
    Rep Power
    30
    Quote Originally Posted by tohca
    Quote Originally Posted by Ramil
    Ещё влететь можно на деньги Но это уже сленг.
    How do you translate this? Is it "there's still money to be made"?
    Я влетел на деньги (Я попал на деньги)
    Означает, что ты был вынужден расстаться с крупной суммой денег. Например - ты разбил машину, или сходил ко врачу
    Send me a PM if you need me.

Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Verbs of Motion
    By Topolino in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: April 7th, 2010, 01:12 PM
  2. Motion verbs
    By Marlow in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: February 25th, 2010, 10:58 AM
  3. Verbs of motion, again
    By JackBoni in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: October 19th, 2008, 01:21 PM
  4. Motion verbs
    By Knave in forum Translate This!
    Replies: 35
    Last Post: February 22nd, 2005, 08:08 PM
  5. verbs of motion
    By joey-boy in forum Book Reviews
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: March 31st, 2004, 11:42 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Russian Lessons                           

Russian Tests and Quizzes            

Russian Vocabulary