Thread: Looking for language exchange

I’m so glad you don’t want to stop, Lena. Your information is invaluable to me. Overall, I just feel that practice is important. Eventually, at some time, one has to begin making one’s own sentences, rather than spitting out memorized phrases. I’m finding out what I lack, for instance, I didn’t know that “сюда” was only used with verbs of motion, or that using “любопитный” is not preferable as a translation for “curious” unless it’s about a mundane trifle. My problem is that I learn slow…I try to remember as much as I can, but I’m bound to continue making mistakes until something “clicks” with me.
One of my faults right now is mistaking when the accusative is used. I also notice I have a problem using the instrumental in the manner that Russians do. It’s just a large amount of information I’m trying to assimilate and put to use. You know Lena, even though you say you don’t mind the amount that you’re having to do, I still feel I should make it easier for you and not get into lengthy work all at one time. I just appreciate so much your efforts, and want to do the same for you. So, let’s just have fun, and learn in the process. We’ll all be better for it, I believe

Originally Posted by kgcole

“любопытный” is not preferable as a translation for “curious” unless it’s about a mundane trifle.

Maybe I should comment on the word любопытный a little more.
I could apply this word to a woman that is cooking dinner and suddenly hears her neighbors speaking loudly. She stops cooking, leans out of the window and begins listening. Their talk has nothing to do with her. But she keeps trying to catch every word just out of curiosity.

Originally Posted by Helenej

Maybe I should comment on the word любопытный a little more.
I could apply this word to a woman that is cooking dinner and suddenly hears her neighbors speaking loudly. She stops cooking, leans out of the window and begins listening. Their talk has nothing to do with her. But she keeps trying to catch every word just out of curiosity.

See, now that doesn't sound too far off from the English meaning; yet, I understand what you were suggesting about using "...интересно узнать...".

Originally Posted by kgcole

See, now that doesn't sound too far off from the English meaning; yet, I understand what you were suggesting about using "...интересно узнать...".

“любопытно узнать” sounds like “I don’t mind knowing that. Yet if you don’t tell me I won’t be disappointed at all”.
“интересно узнать” implies that what the person wants to know is more essential and important to them.
A very subtle difference, though.

Thanks for your explanation on “любопытно”.
Спасибо для ваше обьяснения про “любопытно”.
Спасибо за ваше обьяснение про “любопытно”.
Thanks for = спасибо за + accusative.

It was very helpful.
Его очень помогаюшего.
Оно было очень полезным.
Your version is too far from the original. We can remain your sentence structure and make a word-by-word translation here. There is no subject in your sentence, anyway. The word “его” is not in the nominative, so it cannot be the subject. The nominative of “его” is ”он”.
It also could be “Оно мне очень помогло.”

I had hoped that you would comment on some of my questions concerning life in the past there in Kiev, and how it compares to your life now.
Я надеялся, что вы были бы заметите про меня вопросы относительно прошедшую жизнь в киеве и как это сейчас сравнивает с своими жизню.
Я надеялся, что вы прокомментируете некоторые из моих вопросов относительно прошлой жизни в Киеве и скажете, можно ли ее сравнить с теперешней жизнью.
“Would” can have several functions in English.
1. the auxillary verb in the future tenses instead of “will” when we observe the sequense of tenses
2. the auxillary verb in the subjunctive mood
3. modal verb
Here you used “would” in the first function, just to indicate the Future Simple Tense. The action “comment” is not unreal like in the Subjunctive. Convert the original into the present to feel that. “I hope that you will comment...” So it should be rendered by the Russian future tense.
Относительно + genitive

I don’t have any plans for today.
Я сегодня не имеюсь никакого план.
У меня нет никаких планов на сегодня.
It is better to translate “I have” into ”У меня есть” and “I don’t have” into “у меня нет” in spoken language. “я имею” and ”я не имею” sounds too official, but it’s not inconceivable, as you said.
For today = на сегодня, today = сегодня.

I wanted to write some more, and practice.
Я хотел больше писать и практиковать.
Я хотел больше пописать и попрактиковаться.
I think you didn’t mean to say “I wanted to be in the process of writing”. You meant “I wanted to do a certain amount of work and finish it”.
So the perfective should be used here.

Is there anything in the news that interests you?
Есть ли что-нибудь в новости, которые в ваше мнении интерсным?
Есть ли в новостях что-нибудь, что вас заинтересовало?
I put the subject “что-нибудь” closer to the subordinate clause “что вас заинтересовало” which specifies it, so it can be perceived easier.
I transferred the subordinate clause into the past tense. It sounds more natural but I don’t know why.

Kevin, why are you sitting there twiddling your thumbs? I want to see my mistakes, too.

Originally Posted by Helenej

Kevin, why are you sitting there twiddling your thumbs? I want to see my mistakes, too.

ha ha....well, in that last message the only mistake I saw was that you misspelled "sequence" You're a very easy person to correct! lol

Kevin, may I only answer short questions instead of writing essays, please? I've never been good at them.
Every time I start thinking over my essay even in Russian I've got a terrible headache.

Originally Posted by Helenej

Kevin, may I only answer short questions instead of writing essays, please? I've never been good at them.
Every time I start thinking over my essay even in Russian I've got a terrible headache.

That's fine Elena

Kevin, don't you think that I'm overloading you with grammar? I just judge by myself. I know that I can only learn a foreign language by using logic. I want to understand. It's my frame of mind. Perhaps I would like to become a baby and have loving parents who would speak with me, showing me things and naming them and giving me speach patterns until I get used to them. I would like to listen to them for a year and then say my first word. Without any effort from my side, without this tormenting pain and disappointment. I don't have such a chance. I have to understand the rule and produce my own sentences applying it.
I know that different people may learn a language in different ways. Maybe someone can help learn in a different way. I wish I knew how.

I wanted to write some more, and practice.
Я хотел еще немного пописать и попрактиковаться.
It would be much better. My former version, being grammatically correct, doesn't sound good Russian.
Sound good Russian? I feel this doesn't sound good English, though.

Originally Posted by Helenej

I wanted to write some more, and practice.
Я хотел еще немного пописать и попрактиковаться.
It would be much better. My former version, being grammatically correct, doesn't sound good Russian.
Sound good Russian? I feel this doesn't sound good English, though.

My former version, being grammatically correct, doesn't sound (like) good Russian.

No, I don’t believe you’re overloading me with grammar, Lena. Your explanations are very helpful. You’re right about using logic to learn. I feel that sometimes I don’t use logic. I understand your thoughts about disappointment and difficulty. If we had learned when we were younger it may have been easier, but we are where we are! I just keep moving forward, and I think you have to do the same. Our practice makes us better people, I believe.

Нет Лена, я не поверить что вы мне перегрузились с грамматиками. Ваш обьяснения очень полезными. Вы правильно используете логику то, чтобы учиться. Я считаю, что иногда я не использую логику Я понимаю ваших мысли об разочарования и трудности. Если мы учились в своих молодости то, что следовало было бы легче, но зато мы точно здесь! Я же продолжаю направлять вперед и я думаю приходится так же вам. Наш практика нас делает лучше людей.

Originally Posted by kgcole

My former version, being grammatically correct, doesn't sound (like) good Russian.

Would "doesn't sound Russian" be correct? I mean if I wanted to say it without the word "good". Or I should say "doesn't sound like Russian"?

Originally Posted by Helenej

Would "doesn't sound Russian" be correct? I mean if I wanted to say it without the word "good". Or I should say "doesn't sound like Russian"?

Sure, "doesn't sound Russian" would be fine

No, I don’t believe you’re overloading me with grammar.
Нет, я не поверить что вы мне перегрузились с грамматиками.
Нет, я не думаю, что вы меня слишком нагрузили грамматикой.
The predicate cannot be expressed by the infinitive поверить, but only by finite verb forms.
You haven’t stoped believing, you are in the process of believing. Therefore you should use the imperfect.
“Believe” has two meanings.
1. to have an opinion, to think and corresponds to Russian считать, думать, полагать
2. to trust, to think that something unproved is true. In this meaning it corresponds to верить.
Перегрузить means to take a load and put it into another place or to take the load and put it at the same place once again. I just gave you too much load.

Your explanations are very helpful.
Ваш обьяснения очень полезными. (!!!)
Ваши объяснения очень полезны.
We have the compound nominal predicate here. It consists of the linking verb быть in the present tense, which is usually omitted, and the predicative очень полезные.
The predicative expressed by the noun, the adjective or the ordinal numeral is
in the NOMINATIVE when the linking verb is in the present tense or
in the INSTRUMENTAL when the linking verb is in the past or future tense.
Они полезные. Они были полезными. Они будут полезными.
Она моя подруга. Она была моей подругой. Она будет моей подругой.
Она шестая. Она была шестой. Она будет шестой.

You’re right about using logic to learn.
Вы правильно используете логику то, чтобы учиться.
Вы правы относительно использования логики при обучении.

I feel that sometimes I don’t use logic.
Я считаю, что иногда я не использую логику. (!!!)
Or maybe Мне кажется, что иногда я не использую логику. That implies a lesser degree of confidence.

I understand your thoughts about disappointment and difficulty.
Я понимаю ваших мысли об разочарования и трудности. (!!!)
Я понимаю ваши мысли о разочарованиях и трудностях.
We use “об” only if the folliwing word begins with a vowel like in “об oдном человеке”.

If we had learned when we were younger it may have been easier, but we are where we are!
Если мы учились в своих молодости то, что следовало было бы легче, но зато мы точно здесь!
Если бы мы учились в молодости, возможно, нам было бы легче. Но мы там, где мы есть.
The verbs in both clauses should be put in the conjunctive mood.
The following illustrates the using of “но зато”.
Я не постирала белье, зато я разморозила холодильник.
I didn’t wash the linen ... I unfroze the fridge.
I wonder how you would translate this.

I just keep moving forward, and I think you have to do the same.
Я же продолжаю направлять вперед и я думаю приходится так же вам.
Я просто все время двигаюсь вперед и думаю, что вам нужно делать то же.
Keep thinking = все время думаю, постоянно думаю.

Our practice makes us better people, I believe.
Наш практика нас делает лучше людей.
Я считаю, что наша практика делает нас лучше.

And a question for you. Which is more preferable in the US, the word "surname" or "last name"?

Originally Posted by Helenej

And a question for you. Which is more preferable in the US, the word "surname" or "last name"?

In the US most people use "last name". Surname sounds pretty formal to an American, and is used formally and informally in the UK depending on where you are there. Also rare but not necessarily unheard is "family name".

US English names in a nutshell in order of common usage (from my perspective, at least):
1. first name, given name, Christian name, forename (very unlikely to hear this in the US)
2. Middle name, second/third/etc name
3. Last name, surname, family name

Originally Posted by zxc

In the US most people use "last name". Surname sounds pretty formal to an American, and is used formally and informally in the UK depending on where you are there. Also rare but not necessarily unheard is "family name".

US English names in a nutshell in order of common usage (from my perspective, at least):
1. first name, given name, Christian name, forename (very unlikely to hear this in the US)
2. Middle name, second/third/etc name
3. Last name, surname, family name

Wow, it's such an irrefragable answer. I like that Americans are so logical in this line: first - middle - last. Easy to remember. Thank you.

As for my comparison of our previous life here with our present life.
In the soviet time we used to live a satisfied and safe life in material regard. But at the same time it was a dictatorship, which I hated.
I’m of a rebel frame of mind, you know. Now the life is much harder. Nevertheless it’s a life of freedom and big possibilities for everyone.
I do think if you are talented and hard-working you can achieve if not everything but very much.