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.

are the following correct?

я въезжаю гора - 'im driving up the mountain'
я съезжаю гора - 'im driving down the mountain'

'im driving up the mountain' - я заезжаю на гору
'im driving down the mountain' - я съезжаю с горы

It's a little bit different in Russian
In English you can "drive the mountain" but in Russian you are "driving on the mountain surface"

i am confused that they both mean 'to introduce'.
which word do i use to mean 'to introduce' in this context?
do you have better words or more colloquial words to express 'to introduce'?

In line with what it-ogo has said about the words having several meanings, to get suitable colloquial translation, you have to get the word that has the central meaning you want.

'To introduce' in English having the meaning 'to become acquainted' would be something like познакомиться.

I think "я въезжаю на гору" is also possible, but "заезжаю" is better.

And "я еду в гору"

In my experience English word "to endure" in most actual situations can not be translated directly as one verb. Mostly one need to rebuild the sentence in translation to reproduce the sense.

which is the correct preposition to use with sailing to a place? 'в' or 'на'?
я плыву в владивосток
я плыву на владивосток

None of them!

I'm kidding a bit Technically, the first one is correct. But you should say: "Я плыву во Владивосток".

The rule is: if a word starts with a combination "в + another consonant", the preposition "в" changes to "во" (for easier pronunciation).
"Владивосток" starts with "вл-", so we say "во Владивосток" (direction), "во Владивостоке" (location).

Originally Posted by it-ogo

In my experience English word "to endure" in most actual situations can not be translated directly as one verb. Mostly one need to rebuild the sentence in translation to reproduce the sense.

Interesting! Could you provide any examples to illustrate that?

im rather confused about the meaning of 'отводить'
i find my my dictionary that it means to take somewhere.
i also see the examples:

Сша отводят России роль партнера.
Демократы отвели полгода на вывод войск.

so does it mean 'to assign' or 'to allot'?

Prefixed verbs of motion often have multiple meanings. They usually have one direct meaning, and many figurative meanings.
The same is true for the English "phrasal verbs" (as to get on, to take off, to give out) - we (Russians) also have many difficulties with them.

Your two examples just illustrate two different usages of the same verb.
And there are others.

That's what my dictionary says:

отводить
отвести (вн.)
1. lead* (d.); take* (d.); (в сторону) take* / draw* aside (d.)
отводить войска назад — withdraw, или draw* off, the troops
отводить воду (из) — drain (d.)
2. (об ударе и т. п.) parry (d.); ward off (d.) (тж. перен.); (перен.) remove (d.)
отводить обвинение — reject an accusation
3. (о кандидате) reject (d.); юр. (о присяжных) challenge (d.)
4. (о земле, помещении) allot (d.); (землю под определённую с.-х. культуру) set* aside (d.)
♢ отводить роль — assign a part
отводить душу — unburden one's heart, pour out one's heart
отвести глаза — look aside
он не мог глаз отвести — he couldn't take his eyes off
отвести глаза кому-л. разг. — distract / divert smb.'s attention, take* smb. in

how do i use the word 'сходиться' meaning 'to assemble'?

and how do i use the word 'расходиться' meaning to disperse?

do you use these words?

how do i use the word 'сходить'?
in my dictionary it says that it means 'get off, come down'
it also says that it means 'to go somewhere and return' when used with perfectives.

do you use 'сходить'?
and if so, how do you use 'сходить'?

do i say these sentences right?
am i using the right preposition for these sentences?

i was descending into the water?
я сплывал в воду

i was descending under water?
я сплывал под водой

Originally Posted by tiudavidharris

do you use 'сходить'?
and if so, how do you use 'сходить'?

Да.
- Скоро будет концерт Мадонны. Хочешь сходить?
- А не сходить ли нам на концерт?
- С эскалатора удобнее сходить лицом вперёд.
- Загар сходит две недели.
- Не стоит сходить с ума из-за этого.
- Как долго это будет сходить ему с рук?
- Как долго будет сходить снег?

can we use the verb 'подножу' with the preposition 'в'?
and if so, what does it mean?

"я подношу его в '?'."

First of all, where did you get "подножу" from? Are your sure the spelling is correct? Or did you mean "подложу" or anything else?

Originally Posted by Боб Уайтман

Interesting! Could you provide any examples to illustrate that?

Right now I can remember phrases like "In enduring grow strong.", "Endure my sword, bastard!", "we must endure to the end" or something like that - I am not sure if they are exact quotes.

what can't be cured must be endured.