(no subject)

[clownshoes.livejournal.com]

For an assignment for my Russian class, my teachers asks that we replace the verb ходить by the verb быть (and visa-versa), and to change the case of the nouns following the verb. The example she gives is "Он был на вечере. --> Он ходил на вечер."

This confused me a little bit, but now I think I understand what she wants. So... am I doing it right?

1. На прошлой неделе он ходил в Эрмитаж. ---> На прошлой неделе он был в Эрмитаже.
2. Где ты был вчера вечером? Я был на Арбате. ---> Где ты ходил вчера вечером? Я ходил на Арбат.

Comments

[syntinen.livejournal.com]

It would be better Куда ты ходил вчера вечером? - Я ходил на Арбат.

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

+1.

Explanation (because, syntinen, we students need explanations! :) )


You're emphasizing the *motion* (requiring kuda): think of it like, "Whither were you going last night?" In English we use "where" in both instances when we mean location and motion; but if you can separate the two (I always used the older word "whither," which may be used incorrectly for all I know but it was a nice mental footnote) it really helps.

[syntinen.livejournal.com]

thanx for your explanation!
as a native speaker of Russian I know correct forms, but don't think about the rules :)

[leonya.livejournal.com]

Never heard the word whither. In today's English, where is often followed by prepositions at or to, which convey the meaning more clearly. Like, where are you at? or where are you going to?

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

yes, whither is an archaic term which closely approximates "kuda." I'm a geek, which is why I use it. It was helpful *for me*; I'm not saying other people can't use whatever works for them.

By the way, "where are you at?" is grammatically incorrect. The "at" is unnecessary.

[leonya.livejournal.com]

By the way, "where are you at?" is grammatically incorrect. The "at" is unnecessary

It might be unnecessary, but it is used quite extensively, which means someone does find it necessary. Such a use logically follows from the ambiguity of the word "where".

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

so what you're saying is you're not a prescriptivist. That's fine, as long as you don't mind me pointing out that it's still wrong.

[leonya.livejournal.com]

I'm just of the opinion that if certain words/expression are used extensively, it makes their usage acceptable (i.e. right:))

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

"east is east, and west is west, and never the twain shall meet." :) Linguists (and language geeks) need SOMETHING to argue about!

[leonya.livejournal.com]

can't argue with that

[azulejos.livejournal.com]

Куда ты ходил вечером?

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

right, you're taking it from MOTION (which takes accusative) and now focusing on LOCATION (which takes prepositional). Does that make sense?

[clownshoes.livejournal.com]

Hah, yes, now that you put it that way, it makes perfect sense. I appreciate it.

[arvi.livejournal.com]

В Эрмитаж ходят, по Арбату гуляют.

[oryx_and_crake]

Not completely true and completely off-topic.

[oiseau-russe.livejournal.com]

Not to offend your teacher, but... Он ходил на вечер without saying when it was, sounds wrong. Вчера он ходил на вечер is the same as вчера он был на вечере. Он ходил на вечера (without presision of the moment) is also ok, but it means something slightly different: it meant a repeatet action. So it needs plurel вечера and not вечер

[clownshoes.livejournal.com]

I think that she is trying to keep it a little bit simple for us ;)

[wire-shock.livejournal.com]

Well, actually the phrases Он ходил на вечер & Он был на вечере sound ok to me but we barely use the word вечер without indicating what kind of вечер it was.
I mean, something like Он ходил на вечер поэзии (=поэтический вечер) would be much better. And if a party is meant the right word is вечеринка.