Thread: Pimsleur - Level 1

Originally Posted by Helenej

The reflexive pronoun себя (себе, собой) indicates that the action returns to the doer, i.e. when the subject and object or subject and adverbial modifier are the same persons. In other cases we use personal pronouns я, ты, он, она, они, оно, мы, вы, они in indirect cases: меня, тебе, нами, нем etc.

Она увидела себя в зеркале. Она увидела его в зеркале.

The same is true about the reflexive pronoun свой, своя, свое, свои with that difference that they are used as attributes of the object or adverbial modifier.

Она увидела в зеркале свое исхудавшее лицо. Она увидела в зеркале его исхудавшее лицо.

Helenej, thanks! So are you saying that whenever the Pimsleur tapes are having us say, "I would like to eat (or whatever) at my place," they are incorrect in having us use у меня because the subject of the sentence is "I" and the object is "me/mine"? So that it would be correct to use у меня if the speaker was saying, "You would like to eat at my place" ?

Sorry if I'm being dense...I didn't pay much attention during 9th-grade grammar and I'm a little shaky on these concepts even in English!

Because you asked, I looked at your post for grammar issues and did find one small one which I didn't even notice the first time I read your post:

The same is true about the reflexive pronoun свой, своя, свое, свои with that difference that they are used as attributes of the object or adverbial modifier.

should be "The same is true about the reflexive pronoun свой, своя, свое, свои with the difference that they are used as attributes of the object or adverbial modifier."

Your English is nearly perfect, with only very slight idiomatic differences.

Thanks again!

Val

Originally Posted by valereee

So are you saying that whenever the Pimsleur tapes are having us say, "I would like to eat (or whatever) at my place," they are incorrect in having us use у меня because the subject of the sentence is "I" and the object is "me/mine"? So that it would be correct to use у меня if the speaker was saying, "You would like to eat at my place" ?

Absolutely.
I would like to eat at my place - у себя дома
You would like to eat at my place – у меня дома
We would like to eat at my place – у меня дома.

With THE ( Thank you) difference that “у себя” or “у меня” is not the object, but the adverbial modifier of time. Still this logic works whenever we handle the verb in its finite or non-finate form (I mean it can be the participle, verbal adverb, infinitive and some others). Like with the infinitive in “это право включает свободу менять свою религию”.

Originally Posted by valereee

I didn't pay much attention during 9th-grade grammar and I'm a little shaky on these concepts even in English!
Neither did I. It is only now when I start opening the grammar guide.
Thank you for the correction. My mistake was so Russian.