Kiev

[ugly-boy.livejournal.com]

Sorry for two posts in a row…

How would you say "I am visiting Kiev" in Russian? I'm assuming that the Russian word for the Ukranian city is "Kjev" but I could be completely off. I'm guessing it's [Я] носещаю Кев but I don't know how to do cases in Russian. I know it's something that I should learn but I haven't gotten that far. Is it just Кева?

Comments

[ex-bolonk.livejournal.com]

In russian - Я посещаю Киев

[ugly-boy.livejournal.com]

It really is Киев? Interesting.

[dimentiy.livejournal.com]

Yes.

[yers.livejournal.com]

Yes, from Кий + possessive suffix.
Кий is a character so obscure even the Tale of Bygone Years (http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/OSTPOV.html) mentions two theories of his identity, one holding him to be a prince and the other (refuted by the chronicler) saying he was a ferryman, and deriving the name of the place from Киев перевоз, "Kiy's crossing".

[ugly-boy.livejournal.com]

Interesting. Thank you.

[ignat.livejournal.com]

Yes. And the stress is on "и": Киев.

See miram's important comment below!

[miram.livejournal.com]

"Я посещаю Киев" is formally correct, but you'll hardly meet such a construction in a real text (and probably never in conversation). This word in the imperfective aspect presumes that you make your visits several times or usually. So it commonly needs a circumstance of time, like "Я посещаю Киев два раза в год", or "Я часто посещаю Киев". And yet this sounds terribly formal. Normally one says, "Я часто бываю в Киеве", "Я часто езжу в Киев"...

If you mean that you already are in Kiev, you simply say "Я в Киеве", "Я сейчас в Киеве", "Я приехал в Киев"... If you are just going to the trip -- about to leave for Kiev -- then "Я еду в Киев", "Я уезжаю в Киев"...

kiev

[mokslininkas.livejournal.com]

so ncie to stumble across a discussion about Kiev - I am originally from Kiev and am very curious about the etymology of it and stuff...so all your comments interesting shed light on the subject....

[snal.livejournal.com]

by the way, the correct name is Kyiv, not Kiev or Kjev.

[ugly-boy.livejournal.com]

Well, it's Kiev in English.

[snal.livejournal.com]

Well, truly speaking, Kyiv is Ukrainian city. So- Kyiv is more correct.

KIEV

[ugly-boy.livejournal.com]

Well, it's not the proper English word and since we're speaking English here Kiev is the corect word. Just as we don't say Tookyoo or pronounce Seoul correctly we say Kiev instead of Kyiv. It's probably a reflection of the Russian influences (Киев).

Re: KIEV

[snal.livejournal.com]

Well, it's a Soviet-time word- Kiev.
Now you don't say "thee" instead of "you", yes?
So for Ukrainian city Kyiv is more up-to-date word.

Re: KIEV

[mderk.livejournal.com]

It's a bullshit.
Kiev is a common English name for the city, originating from the Russian word 'Киев'. It has nothing to do with the Ukrainian name of that city. And it is not a 'Soviet-time word', by the way, because Киев was Киев centuries before the Soviet Union was founded. And 'Kyiv' is nothing more then transliterated ukrainian word. The fact that Ukraine became independent from Russia does not make the word Kiev obsolete, and Kyiv up-to-date, because 'Kiev' was borrowed from Russian, not Ukrainian.

Re: KIEV

[snal.livejournal.com]

No, it is not. But Russian chauvinism is bullshit.
Soviet Union is history.
Soviet words are history.
And I don't see any reason why Ukrainian capital must be called Russian word.
By the way, Київ was Київ centuries before Moscow was founded.

Re: KIEV

[ugly-boy.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I was trying to say. Thanks for backing me up. It's not anti-Ukranian or pro-Soviet Union, it's just the English word for it.