(no subject)

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

I'm aware that one uses impersonal constructions when one is talking about a "state of being." I.e. Мне холодно, ей жарко, им скучно, и т.д.

But where is the line drawn for "states of being?" Isn't feelings a state of feeling as well? Would one be able to say Мне грустно, ему счастливо, etc.?

And it IS appropriate to say "Я чувствую красивый/грустный/счастливый," right? Or no right?

I'm aware I've asked this question before (I think), but I don't think it was answered to my liking, and this has come up again. This phrase "к тебе в гости," I'm aware it says "to you" but "to guest" as well? Sounds odd. Например, я иду к тебе в гости = I'm going to you as a guest?

If someone "makes you do something," how would that translate into Russian? Делать would sound weird, I suppose.

Ah, and one final question: When does one choose to use опять, ещё раз, и снова?

Comments

[madrumos.livejournal.com]

1. you can say мне грустно, but он счастлив is preferred for the second example. i'm not quite sure why, or where the distinction lies, but i'll think about it.

2. "Я чувствую себя счастливым/ой или красивым/ой" is what you want. I'm not sure if this construction would be used with грустный, I think the dative impersonal would sound much better there. At the very least it would have a different emphasis or stress and a different feel.

4. застАвить/заставлЯть кого делать что-н. = to make someone do sth.
"Он заставил меня рассказать ему о ней."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_teemon_/]

I cannot explain much. :( But:

"Мне грустно" - ok
"ему счастливо" - wrong. "Он счастливый" or better "Он счастлив"

"Я чувствую красивый/грустный/счастливый," - wrong. Use "Мне грустно", "Я счастлив", "Мне хорошо" instead.

"Например, я иду к тебе в гости = I'm going to you as a guest?". Yep. :) "I am to make you a visit."

"makes you do something," - hmm, good question. "заставлять", "вынуждать" maybe. If "this music makes me sick", then it is "от этой музыки мне плохо".

[http://users.livejournal.com/_teemon_/]

And yes, "я чувствую себя счастливым" is okay too.

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

Have you by any chance heard of "I Feel Pretty" in the musical West Side Story? How would that translate into Russian?

[leonya.livejournal.com]

I don't think there is a direct translation. And we don't use чувствовать quite the same as you use feel. So it's not right to say in Russian "Я чувстувую себя красивым". It would mean I feel that I'm beautiful(handsome). In your sentence, beautiful and perhaps pretty (although I'm not familiar with the context you're referring to) can be translated like прекрасно, отлично, замечательно. Я себя отлично чувствую is an acceptable translation (at least of "I feel beautiful")

[gdt.livejournal.com]

>So it's not right to say in Russian "Я чувстувую себя красивым".

It's true, but one may say: "Я ощущаю себя красивым".

[leonya.livejournal.com]

One might say anything:). I wouldn't use such a sentence either simply because I don't quite know what it means:). But I'm not saying it's incorrect.

[yuia.livejournal.com]

"ощущаю" is a physical sensation, and I would not use it to mean feel, in the emotional sense.

[gdt.livejournal.com]

>"ощущаю" is a physical sensation
not always. "он ощущал себя хозяином".

[hellga.livejournal.com]

As far as your first question, I think it more idiosyncratic than anything. For example, "I am happy" would be "Я счастлива" whereas "I'm fine" is "Мне хорошо" or even "Я в порядке" (such as, you are in a car accident and when someone asks you if you are OK). Perhaps someone who has studied Russian as a foreign language would know a set of rules for this.

As far as the second question, "to make someone do something" would be "заставить/заставлять кого-то что-то сделать" (first being perfective, second imperfective)

[leonya.livejournal.com]

"Someone makes you do" - тебя кто-то заставляет. Заставляет is the word to use in this case.

"Я иду к тебе в гости" is a correct idiomatic way to say "I'm going to visit you". "Я в гостях у...", - "I'm visiting (someone)". An interesting expression for you to learn: "Чувствуй себя как дома, но не забывай, что ты в гостях" (Make yourself at home, but don't forget you're a guest). It's a humorous way to let the friend know that not everything is allowed in your house:)

[oryx_and_crake]

Я иду к тебе в гости - I go to you to be your guest (as opposed to, say, "I go to you to clean your house/babysit your children/borrow some money etc.")

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

see, "в гости (куда?) / в гостях (где?)" is a "state of being" set expression. I know it doesn't make too much sense, but there is a lot of odd, anti-logic stuff which mostly derives from ancient Russian (like in this case.) Some 400 years ago Russians used a lot of constructions like this: to go to Germany would be "ехать в немцы" (literally, to go into Germans) then, the caravan path from Novgorod Rus through the whole Russia to the Black Sea was "путь из варяг в греки" (the way from the Normans into the Greeks,) etc. There still is another expression like "ходить в гости" - more rare, but commonly understood - "выйти в люди" or "вывести в люди". Получил образование, вышел в люди means "he got educated and became a [valuable] member of the society." Мы тебя выведем в люди means "we'll help you to become a [valuable] member of the society." Or, recalling Leo Tolstoy: Пьер Безухов был посвящен в масоны - Pierre Bezukhov has been accepted into franc-macon lounge.

[leonya.livejournal.com]

very interesting explanation of the "в гости" expression. thanks:)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

>When does one choose to use опять, ещё раз, и снова

Approximately when an English speaker chooses between "again," "once more" and "over again" :)))