a few questions

[lynxypoo.livejournal.com]

I've been going back and doing old exercises in my Russian for Beginners book (I fear I went far too fast after chapter four and absorbed NO vocabulary)- and I just have a few questions.

"Here is a blackboard, and there is a map." - would one use вот for both "here is" and "there is"? If not, what would "there is" be?

"This is not a pencil, but a pen." "This is not a book, but a magazine" - would one use а or но for 'but'?

--will add more in a while.

>> A little while later....

"I am home today" - "я дома сегодня" or "я сегодня дома"?

"What is Mr. Petrov reading?" - "что госпордин Петров читает?" or "что читает госпордин Петров?"?

спасибо!

Comments

[taniatom.livejournal.com]

there is no there is in Russian language:)
it's normally just there (там) or here (здесь, тут) or smth




2. Это не карандаш, а ручка

[ex-ex-zhuzh.livejournal.com]

1. Here is: вот; это; вот это. There is: вон; то; вон то. Any combination is good.

2. One can use но but it's too old-fashioned and literary; а is better.

[oryx_and_crake]

Здесь доска, а там карта

or

Вот доска, а вот карта.

[john-wood.livejournal.com]

>>I am home today" - "я дома сегодня" or "я сегодня дома"?

second one.

"What is Mr. Petrov reading?" - "что госпордин Петров читает?" or "что читает госпордин Петров?"?

1. It's господин. (no "p")

2. Both are possible. First one sounds like mocking if you are addressing Mr. Petrov himself. 2nd one is what you would ask somebody else about what Mr Petrov's reading.

[xantin.livejournal.com]

as a native russian speaker, I would say:
"Вот доска, а вон (вон там)- карта"
"это не карандащ, а ручка"
"я сегодня дома"
"что читает господин Петров?"

[zorritito.livejournal.com]

As another Russian speaker, I would say about last two questions, that both variants in both questions are absolutely correct.
It depends on what you want to highlight, to stress. There are slight changes in intonation in this variants, that depend very much on personal style of speaking. For example if somebody asks me, where I will be today, I answer "я дома сегодня" with more stress on дома. But if somebody asks me what I am going to do today, i normally say "я сегодня дома, я буду делать то-то и то-то" with more neutral intonation on every word. Or simply "я сегодня дома" again with neutral intonation meaning that i'm going to do nothing, because i will be at home.
The same with Petrov. For example, if Petrov is a pupil in school and is reading in class when he is supposed to do something else, i would ask: "И что госп.Петров читает?" with more stress on читает and certainly with ironical intonation, but if it's a neutral question, then the second variant, I mean if I really want to know what Petrov is reading.
In general, we tend to change the order of words when we want to highlight something. We certainly do it with intonation, but with the sequence of words as well.

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

I'm afraid it's a bit more complex: both variants are correct in no less than two different senses each :)

1. Declarative sentences.
1.1. Neutral intonation.

Basic rule: the part of the sentence that contains new information ("rheme", as opposed to "theme"), is given last. Therefore,

Я дома сегодня - answers a question like "When are you at home this week"?
Я сегодня дома - answers a question like "Where I can find you later today"?
Moreover,
Дома сегодня я - answers a question like "Who is going to stay home today"?

In these examples (and below), rheme = new information = the part corresponding to the wh-word in an implicit question is in bold.

1.2. The new information isn't in its usual place (last); then, intonation cannot be neutral; the "fronted" rheme is emphasized. One typical additional shade of meaning with such word order is some sort of contrast. In other words, what is described by the sentence is opposed to another situation, or (like in zorritito's interpretation) contradicts to what the listener probably supposes.

Все уйдут, а я дома сегодня.
Почему ты решил, что меня не будет? Я дома сегодня.
(In both cases, "...я сегодня дома" is possible, too.)

2. Questions.
2.1. Neutral intonation.

Since the trick with construing the implied question won't work here, let's use something else. The trouble with special questions is that the part corresponding to rheme (the wh-word) is normally fronted (like in English). However, the remaining part can (in Russian) be analyzed more-less like with declarative sentences:

Что Петров читает? ~ Петров читает. Что именно? ("Petrov is reading (something). What specifically?"). - ~ I want to know what Petrov reads, not where he lives or something; or: Speaking of Petrov, what is he reading?
Что читает Петров ~ Читает Петров. Что именно? ("Petrov is reading (something). What specifically?" - ~ I want to know what Petrov reads, not someone else; or: speaking of books, what is Petrov reading?

The same thing with non-neutral intonation and a shade of contrast:

Я знаю, что читает Иванов. А вот что Петров читает?
Я вижу, что Петров не спит. А вот что читает Петров?

3. With declarative questions, there is also a possibility that the information in it is all new, so the sentence is all-rheme (there is no "theme" part). Whatever you've read about the "default" or "normal" word order in Russian (like subject-verb-object-circumstance &like) applied in fact only to this particular case:

Погода меняется. Кстати, я сегодня дома.

Similar thing is possible with questions.

--------------

Now, the practical side. It is much safer to use the word order that does not require emphatic intonation (esp. in written).

(I hope very much my explanations aren't totally incomprehensible)

[lynxypoo.livejournal.com]

that actually almost made sense! thank you!

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

I'm glad if it helps :)

3. With declarative questions,

- sure, I meant "declarative sentences".

The same thing with non-neutral intonation and a shade of contrast:

- this should have been labeled "2.2".

BTW, Russian is not so unique; English, where its word order is free, displays some similar effects (although not identical). For example, try to analyze the following sentences:

Tomorrow I'll stay at home.
I'll stay at home tomorrow.

- as answering different questions (when? where? who?). And see what happens to intonation etc.

[zorritito.livejournal.com]

Basilius, super! thanks a lot, it was very interesting even for a 'native speaker' to read the real explanation.