Являться и быть

[dzhozef-derfler.livejournal.com]

Well, I know it means "to be" and that it's imperfect, but when exactly does one use «являться»?

Comments

[madrumos.livejournal.com]

It does mean 'to be', but it's only used in certain specific circumstances. It's used in official, technical or other very specifiс writing where normally in Russian no present tense of 'to be' is used.

Кто сейчас является президентом России?

It's used in technical manuals, academic works, journalism, etc. It would sound very stilted and awkward if used in everyday speech or writing.

[malaya-zemlya.livejournal.com]

Являться has a distinct formal flavor. It's a word you are likely to encounter in a buraucratic document or in a mathematical definition.

A normal person would say:
Михаил - водитель автобуса - Mikhail is a bus driver

While a bureaucrat would report:
В настоящее время Михаил Иванов является водителем автобуса - At the present moment, Mikhail Ivanov is a bus driver

Note: Являться is an imperfect form of the verb явиться - to present oneself, to appear. Sometimes it is still used in that original meaning

Дух Кошкина являлся жителям дома каждые два дня - Koshkin's ghost appeared in front of house inhabitants every two days.

As you can see, cases are different here. The "is" meaning requires instrumental case for the direct object while "appear" wants dative.

[hookilledbambi.livejournal.com]

I am commenting for whenpumbaflys!!!
hi