About самый

[viric.livejournal.com]

Let's see... I think I'm unable to guess what's the meaning of самый some times...
Sometimes it's like "most", and sometimes it's like "same". Maybe anyone can explain a bit about that? :) Thanks

Обновление: How do you say: "I'm reading the most important book" and "I'm reading the same book" (may the context for the last sentence be: "I'm reading The Devil's Dictionary"). Even take the example: "то же самое мнение, что и у меня".

Comments

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

- Это Иванов?
- Он самый.
(Is it Ivanov? - Yes, it's him (literally, "the very he" or "he himself".)
It's a set expression, where "самый" substitutes for "сам" ([one]self.)
In some Russian dialects (but NOT in "normative" Russian,) "самый" has this meaning even outside set expressions.
In most other cases, "самый" (m.; самая f., самое n.) means "the most [something]" (самый умный - the most smart, the smartest; самый главный - er, the most main :)) - in Russian this form is possible, unlike in English)
Note that there is also a meaning that corresponds to both described above - in the set expressions "самый первый" (the very first.) Compare to "самый ранний" (the earliest.)

[ex-ex-zhuzh.livejournal.com]

That's correct. After a pronoun it means "same" or "very". Я самый = my very self, тот самый = that same, that very. Before an adjective it means "most" (or, more precisely, самый+adjective together form a superlative). Самый красивый = the most beautiful, самый важный = the most important. It can also be used with an adjective which is itself a superlative, самый лучший = the very best. Or when an adjective doesn't have a comparative, самый последний = the very last. Hope it helps.

[temcat.livejournal.com]

I'm reading the most important book - Я читаю самую важную книгу
I'm reading the same book - Я читаю ту же самую книгу

[dear-sun.livejournal.com]

Я читаю самую важную книгу.

Я читаю ту же (самую) книгу. Я читаю словарь Дьявола.

It wold be better to say такое же мнение, как у меня or то же мнение. Most people prefer to have less words in a sentence.

[miram.livejournal.com]

The Devil's Dictionary (by Ambrose Bierce) was translated into Russian under the title "Словарь Сатаны".

The Devil's Dictionary

[nbuwe.livejournal.com]

<offtopic> Just a curious factlet. When The Devil's Dictionary was published in xUSSR, it had the entry for "Russian" omitted. :)

[staring-frog.livejournal.com]

Самый is "the most" in most cases/
"The same" is "тот же"
So, "тот же самый" literally means "the most same" or "the very same", cамый here is just for stress.