(no subject)

[superslayer18.livejournal.com]

Probably a question for a beginner... but oh well lol. When should someone use сейчас instead of теперь to mean "now"? Are they both interchangeable, or do they have different shades of meaning? Thank you!

Comments

[cema.livejournal.com]

Сейчас одно, а теперь совсем другое. Т.е.: сейчас более нейтральное, а теперь акцентирует изменение.

[superslayer18.livejournal.com]

Erm can you please say that in English? I'm positive that I translated that first line wrong, and I don't even want to attempt the second one lol. Sorry!

[yozhevich.livejournal.com]

Rough translation: "Сейчас and теперь are two completely different words. Сейчас is more neutral, while теперь emphasizes change."

[superslayer18.livejournal.com]

Never mind I understand it now: Seychas is a neutral way of saying now, while teper' shows change in some say. As in "It was A, teper'(now) it is B", right?

So would "Оно было А, но теперь оно Б" be a working sentence where you would use Teper' over Seychas?

[yozhevich.livejournal.com]

Sorry... looks like we missed each other :)

Yes. If it's a general statement only about the present, you'd use сейчас. If there's any comparison with the past, it's теперь.

[alenkii.livejournal.com]

here they are interchangeble, although again if you say это было А, а сейчас это Б, it will mean shorter period of time, than это было А, а теперь это Б. But you can say either way, it is a very slight difference

[alenkii.livejournal.com]

теперь usually does not mean 'at the moment', it implies a longer period of time
сейчас can mean both 'the moment' and some longer time.
Он сейчас моет посуду. - He is washing the dishes.
Он теперь моет посуду. - He washes the dishes (and likely that he will do it in the future too).
probably, there is something else - but that's what came to mind first.

[twincat.livejournal.com]

Откомментируйте, в таком случае, выражения:

- "теперь позвольте пару слов без протокола" (с)
- "сейчас вот выйду, я вам поору тут!" :))

as I can say

[nathalyru.livejournal.com]

- "теперь позвольте пару слов без протокола" (с)
Here we have an old (bookish) meaning of the word "теперь" which in the past ment "сейчас". This brings a bit of officiality into the conversation

- "сейчас вот выйду, я вам поору тут!" :))
Here the word "сейчас" adds resoluteness to the meaning of the whole phrase. As if the person is already doing it or at least is reay to act.

[raul-p.livejournal.com]

There is a slight difference between сейчас and теперь.
Usually these words have different accent.

Сейчас is used when we want to make accent on time. It means that we do not care about what the object was doing before this moment, we talk about what it is doing now.

Теперь is used when we want to make accent on changing of object's activity. It means that we want to underline that the object was doing something, but now he do something else.

[mr-yogurt.livejournal.com]

"Сейчас" usually means "now", "at the moment", while "теперь" means "at present". But nevertheless, they are still interchangeable and I suppose it would not be a big mistake if you use one instead of another.

[idealforcolors.livejournal.com]

thanks for asking, i wondered the same thing!

Yes, there's a firm difference

[virtualsushi.livejournal.com]

Сейчас = now -- in general, when you DON'T compare it to the past.
Теперь = now -- esclusively when you DO compare it to the past.

Re: Yes, there's a firm difference

[night-sun-dial.livejournal.com]

I don't agree. "Душа моя борется теперь: отдамся ли я расчетам временной жизни, или исполню волю Отца теперь, в этот час." Л.Н.Толстой. Just, there is a very popular modern idiom: "прежде было то, а теперь это".

Re: Yes, there's a firm difference

[virtualsushi.livejournal.com]

Well, he IS comparing himself to his own past: before, he did not have a habit of doing all this. прежде было то, а теперь это - this is just proving what I said.

Re: Yes, there's a firm difference

[night-sun-dial.livejournal.com]

No. He is thinking about himself in the future. He is asking himself: What shall I do?
Sorry... It is Bible, not Tolstoj ;o):
И что же, неужели теперь, когда наступил тот час, в котором я живу, я скажу: Отец, избавь меня от того, что я должен делать? Не могу я сказать этого, потому что я живу теперь.

And... the presence itself is a comparison only. The presence doesn't exist itself.

[night-sun-dial.livejournal.com]

A little bit of etimology... Сейчас means 'at this hour'. Сей - this, час - hour. So, сейчас is a short time term. It may be a second, a minite, an hour, several hours, no more. It's all difference. Also, there is a russian words that mean shorter time of present than сейчас, it's "сейчас же". Теперь can be used for arbitrary time term. But I agree with mr_yogurt, it is not a big mistake.

[gnomygnomy.livejournal.com]

I just think, "Теперь я чебурашка," and that makes sense to me. :-D