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Thread: сам или самый

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    сам или самый

    In the following phrase one must put сам или самый
    Нам навстречу вышел тот же ---- мужчина
    I had chosen сам, but the solution given is самый, with whom I disagree, according to "my rules" for using сам and самый. "The same man, in person, got out to meet us".
    самый: expresses the superlative or nearness in time or space.
    cam: the rest of cases, specially when the subject of action is referred.
    Up to now these rules have worked. In the case proposed, it is matter of opinión or really just самый be used? Thank you.

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    Re: сам или самый

    Quote Originally Posted by radomir
    "The same man, in person, got out to meet us".
    The same man = тот же самый человек

    in person = сам, but I would use "лично" here to avoid the usage of words with the same root in one sentence.

    So these variants of translaton of this sentence would be apropriate:

    Тот же самый человек лично вышел нас встретить.

    or

    Тот же человек сам вышел нас встретить.
    Please, correct my mistakes, except for the cases I misspell something on purpose!

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    Re: сам или самый

    Thank you.

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    Re: сам или самый

    сам = himself, herself, itself
    самый = the most
    тот же самый = (set expression) the same
    ~ Мастерадминов Мастерадмин Мастерадминович ~

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    Re: сам или самый

    Thank you.

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    Administrator MasterAdmin's Avatar
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    Re: сам или самый

    Also read these vocabulary lessons dedicated to each or the words:

    сам: http://masterrussian.com/vocabulary/sam_myself.htm
    самый: http://masterrussian.com/vocabulary/samiy.htm
    ~ Мастерадминов Мастерадмин Мастерадминович ~

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    Re: сам или самый

    Thank you.

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    Завсегдатай it-ogo's Avatar
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    Re: сам или самый

    Quote Originally Posted by MasterAdmin
    сам = himself, herself, itself
    самый = the most
    тот же самый = (set expression) the same
    тот самый = (set expression) the very, that very
    "Россия для русских" - это неправильно. Остальные-то чем лучше?

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    Re: сам или самый

    Thanks. It is clear that here it has a meaning slightly "off-side" the regular meaning of самый (not superlative nor "very close in time or space to").

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    Re: сам или самый

    Quote Originally Posted by radomir
    Thanks. It is clear that here it has a meaning slightly "off-side" the regular meaning of самый (not superlative nor "very close in time or space to").
    IMHO it is not really off-side. "this very guy" is pretty much the literal translation of "тот самый человек". The fundamental meaning of самый is about precision.

    Also (э)тот самый can sometime qualify people in an unpleasant way, as in Терпеть не могу этих самых гостей!

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    Re: сам или самый

    Thank you very much for your accuricies.

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