Thread: Разные вопросы по глаголам (by tiudavidharris

when 'подводить/подвести' means to deliver it's usually something animate (person, or it can be a horse or a cow) that can be made to go and move.

'подносить/поднести' means to carry anything, it can be either an object or a person, e.g. carried in a stretcher)...

It might be interesting that "подводить/подвести" often has a completely different meaning in colloquial speech, which has no relation to motion.

It can mean "to do ill to somebody, either by breaking one’s promise, or by doing something which one was not expected to do". I’d better provide a few examples:

1. I am planning to go to the sea side for my vacation, and you promised to buy tickets for me. I have already packed my things, made some plans, but you forgot to buy tickets. My plans are ruined. Then I would say: "Ты меня подвёл".

2. I have borrowed a book from my friend. You come to my home and see the book, and you ask me: "May I take it for one day to read?". I reply: "That’s not mine. I have to give it back". You insist: "But pleeease!". Then I give up: "Ok, take it, but be careful: do not damage it, since it’s not mine!". Next day you come to my home again and bring the book back. But I see a dirty spot on the book cover, and some pages are ripped… And I have to give it back to my friend in the condition like that. Then I will say: "Ты меня подвёл".

Coming back to the verbs of motion, here is a rule of thumb for you:

- All the verbs derived from the root "вести/водить" are applicable to animate beings (humans or animals) assuming you take some person (or an animal, like a dog, cow, horse etc.) along with you to somewhere. There are plenty of prefixed verbs:
увести/уводить, привести/приводить, отвести/отводить, ввести/вводить, довести/доводить, вывести/выводить, развести/разводить, перевести/переводить etc.
Some of them may have other additional meanings not related to motion (like "перевести/переводить" also meaning "to translate, to interprete"), but we are discussing motion now, aren’t we?

- All the verbs derived from the root "нести/восить" are applicable to both inanimate and animate objects assuming you carry something (or even somebody) in your hands, in a bag, in a box etc. There are also plenty of prefixed verbs:
унести/уносить, принести/приносить, отнести/относить, внести/вносить, донести/доносить, вынести/выносить, разнести/разносить, перенести/переносить etc.
Some of them may also have other additional meanings not related to motion (like "перенести/переносить" also meaning "to endure, to bear something", or even better: "to experience something potentially harmful, and to survive after it successfully"), but again it’s a different question.