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A Comprehensive Russian Grammar, Third Edition - Learn Russian (PDFDrive) Part-16
A Comprehensive Russian Grammar, Third Edition - Learn Russian (PDFDrive) Part-16
Note
Verbs which take a case other than the accusative are not affected by
the negative-genitive rule: Он помогет брту ‘He helps his brother’,
Он не помогет брту ‘He does not help his brother’; Он гордтся
свом полкм ‘He is proud of his regiment’, Он не гордтся свом
полкм ‘He is not proud of his regiment’.
Verbs which govern the genitive case belong to four principal categories:
(1) Verbs of asking, waiting, seeking, achieving etc.:
(i) Verbs that take only the genitive. These include добив"ться ‘to strive
for’, достиг"ть ‘to achieve’, ж"ждать ‘to crave for’, жел"ть ‘to desire’,
заслживать ‘to deserve’:
добивться успха to strive for success
достигть свой цли to achieve one’s aim
жждать сл"вы to crave for glory
желть сч"стья to desire happiness
засл#живать похвал' to deserve praise
Note
(a) The perfective заслужть ‘to earn’ takes the accusative: заслужть
доврие ‘to earn someone’s confidence’.
(b) Жел"ть ‘to wish’ is ‘understood’ in such phrases as Счастлвого
пут! ‘Bon voyage!’ and И вам тог же! ‘The same to you!’.
(ii) Verbs that take the genitive and the accusative. Generally speaking,
such verbs take the genitive of nouns denoting general and abstract
concepts, and the accusative of nouns denoting persons and specific
inanimate objects. The verbs include:
(a) Дожид"ться ‘to wait until’.
Genitive дожидться побды to wait till victory comes
Accusative дожидться сестр to wait till one’s sister comes
116 The Noun 88
Note
Ждать автбус No. 5 ‘to wait for the number 5 bus’ (a particular bus),
but Жду автбуса ‘I am waiting for a bus’ (any bus; but Жду автбус
is also possible, especially in spoken Russian).
(c) Иск"ть ‘to seek, look for’.
Genitive (‘to try to achieve’)
искть возмжности to seek an opportunity
искть пмощи to seek assistance
Accusative (‘to try to find’)
искть уп"вшую иглку to look for a dropped needle
искть своё мсто в зле to look for one’s place in the hall
искть пр"вду to seek the truth
искть доргу to try to find the way
Note
Рабта is found in either case (искть рабты/рабту ‘to look for
work’), with the accusative (the more usual form) referring to more
specific work.
(d) Ожид"ть ‘to wait for, expect’.
Genitive ожидть слчая to wait for an opportunity
ожидть автбуса to wait for a bus (cf. ждать (b) note)
Втян#л глову в плчи, б#дто ожидя уд"ра со спин' (Gagarin)
He hunched his shoulders, as if expecting a blow from behind
88 Case Usage 117
Note
In colloquial styles the accusative is possible with an animate object:
сл#шаться м"тери or мать ‘to obey one’s mother’.
Other verbs that take the genitive include кас"ться ‘to touch, touch on’
and стить ‘to be worth’:
The dative case denotes the indirect object of a verb, i.e. the person
for whom an action is performed, the recipient or beneficiary: давть
дньги кассру ‘to give the money to the cashier’, звонть сестр
на рабту ‘to ring one’s sister at work’, отвечть сосду ‘to answer
a neighbour’ (cf. отвечть на письм ‘to answer a letter’), писть
89–90 Case Usage 119
письм бр"ту ‘to write a letter to one’s brother’, платть дргу ‘to pay
one’s friend’, пожимть р#ку солд"ту ‘to shake the soldier’s hand’,
послть дньги с'ну ‘to send money to one’s son’ (note, however,
use of the preposition к when the object sent is animate: отпрвить
детй к рдственникам ‘to send the children to stay with relatives’),
сказть отц првду ‘to tell one’s father the truth’.
Note
(a) Запрещть ‘to forbid’ and разрешть ‘to permit’ take the dative of
the person (запрещть/разрешть солд"там курть ‘to forbid/
permit the soldiers to smoke’) and the accusative of an action or process
(запрещть/разрешть обгн ‘to forbid/permit overtaking’).
(b) Учть ‘to teach’ takes the dative of the subject taught: учть
детй мзыке ‘to teach the children music’. Учть + accusative
means ‘to learn’: учть рсский яз'к ‘to learn Russian’. Россю
постонно чат демокртии (V. Putin) ‘Russia is constantly
being taught democracy’.
(2) Attitude: врить ‘to believe’, грозть ‘to threaten’, доверть(ся)
‘to trust’, досаждть ‘to annoy’, завдовать ‘to envy’, льстить ‘to flatter’,
мстить ‘to take vengeance on’ (cf. мстить за + accusative ‘to avenge
someone’), надоедть ‘to bore’, подражть ‘to imitate’, поражться
‘to be amazed at’, рдоваться ‘to rejoice at’, соч#вствовать ‘to
sympathize with’, удивлться ‘to be surprised at’. Note also сметься,
улыбться штке ‘to laugh, smile at a joke’ (but сметься над
км-нибудь ‘to laugh at someone’).
(3) Other meanings: наслдовать ‘to succeed’ (someone), предшствовать
‘to precede’, принадлежть ‘to belong to’ (in the meaning of possession;
cf. принадлежть к ‘to belong to’ (a group, society etc.)), равнться
‘to equal’, слдовать ‘to follow’ (advice etc.).
120 The Noun 90–92
Note
Many verbal and other nouns cognate with the above verbs also take
the dative: обучние рсскому язык ‘the teaching of Russian’,
подражние ск"зке ‘imitation of a folk tale’, пмощь жртвам
землетрясния ‘help for the victims of the earthquake’, служние
наке ‘service to science’, содйствие флту ‘co-operation with the
navy’, соч#вствие чужму грю ‘sympathy for others’ grief’, угрза
мру ‘a threat to peace’.
Adjectives (long and short forms) which take the dative include:
благодрный grateful to
врный loyal to
знакмый known to
извстный well known to
подбный similar to
посл#шный obedient to
прис#щий inherent in
рад (short form only) glad (я рад гостм
‘I am glad to see the guests’)
свйственный characteristic of, inherent in
Предусмотртельность свйственна 7тому человку
Prudence is inherent in this person
(1) Most impersonal constructions involving the dative case denote a state
of mind, feeling, inclination or attitude:
Ученик всело, гр#стно, д#шно, жрко, л#чше, ск#чно,
ст'дно, тепл, удбно, хлодно, х#же
The pupil feels cheerful, sad, stifled, hot, better, bored,
ashamed, warm, comfortable, cold, worse
(2) Some constructions involve verbs: Бр"ту кжется, что тепл
‘My brother thinks it is warm’, Бр"ту надоло рабтать ‘My brother
is bored with working’, Бр"ту нездорвится ‘My brother feels off
colour’, Бр"ту нрвится танцевть ‘My brother likes dancing’, Бр"ту
прихдится мнго рабтать ‘My brother is obliged to work hard’,
92–94 Case Usage 121
Бр"ту удалсь достть дньги ‘My brother managed to get the money’,
Бр"ту хотлось уйт ‘My brother felt like leaving’.
(3) Note also:
(i) Constructions with reflexive verbs that denote disinclination:
Сестр не поётся, не рабтается, не сидтся
My sister does not feel like singing, working, sitting still
(ii) The impersonal predicate жаль also combines with the dative:
Отц жаль ‘My father feels sorry’ (for жаль with accusative see 79 (2)
and for жаль with genitive see 80 (8)).
(4) The dative is also used in denoting age: С'ну (исплнилось) 20 лет
‘My son is (has turned) 20’.
(1) A noun or pronoun in the dative case may function as the logical
subject of an infinitive: Что дтям длать? ‘What are the children to
do?’, Не вам решть ‘It is not for you to decide’, Бр"ту нкуда идт
‘My brother has nowhere to go’.
(2) The dative can also be used to express a peremptory command:
Всем сотрдникам собрться в час! ‘All employees meet at one!’
Note
(a) Analogous use of the instrumental in брость камнми ‘to throw
stones’ (at a target), говорть грмким глосом ‘to speak in a
loud voice’, дышть кислордом ‘to breathe oxygen’, платть
англйскими деньг"ми ‘to pay in English money’.
(b) Use of the instrumental of function (e.g. рзать ножм ‘to cut
with a knife’) must be distinguished from c + instrumental (‘with’
in the meaning ‘holding’): он сидл с ножм в рук ‘he sat with
a knife in his hand’.
122 The Noun 94–97
(1) Двгать рукй ‘to move one’s arm’ (cf. двгать стол ‘to move
a table’), качть/кивть головй ‘to shake/nod one’s head’, махть
рукй ‘to wave one’s hand’, мигть глаз"ми ‘to blink one’s eyes’,
пожимть плеч"ми ‘to shrug one’s shoulders’, тпать ног"ми ‘to
stamp one’s feet’, щёлкать языкм ‘to click one’s tongue’.
(2) The construction also applies to objects held with the hand
(размхивать п"лкой ‘to brandish a stick’, хлпать дврью ‘to slam
a door’, щёлкать бичм ‘to crack a whip’) and to the figurative
expressions И брвью не повёл ‘He did not turn a hair’, шевелть
мозг"ми ‘to use one’s brains’.
See also 359 and 360 (2) for the use of the instrumental with passive
participles.
(1) Space: The type of route covered in a journey: идт брегом ‘to walk
along the shore’, хать лсом ‘to ride through the forest’, мрем ‘by sea’,
хать плем ‘to ride through the fields’, сухм путём ‘overland’. Note
also идт свой доргой ‘to go one’s own way’ (fig.).
(2) Time:
(i) Parts of the day: тром, днём, вчером, нчью ‘in the morning,
daytime, evening, at night’ (глубкой нчью ‘at dead of night’,
одн"жды тром ‘one morning’, вечер"ми ‘in the evenings’, ноч"ми
‘(at) nights’).
Note
Днём may also mean ‘in the afternoon’ (also rendered as во вторй
половне дня).
(ii) Seasons of the year: веснй, лтом, сенью, зимй ‘in the spring,
summer, autumn, winter’ (однжды зимй ‘one winter’, пздней сенью
‘in late autumn’ etc.).
(iii) Others: цлыми час"ми/днми ‘for hours/days on end’.
(3) The manner in which or the means by which an action is performed,
in terms of:
(i) Position: вверх дном ‘upside down’, вниз головй ‘head first’,
стоть спинй к огн& ‘to stand with one’s back to the fire’.
(ii) Movement: бегм ‘at a run’, ш"гом ‘at walking pace’.
(iii) Group activity: ухать семьёй ‘to leave in a family group’, пние
хром ‘singing in chorus’.
(iv) Utterance: другми слов"ми ‘in other words’, петь б"сом ‘to sing
bass’, шёпотом ‘in a whisper’.
(v) Means of transport: хать пездом, летть самолётом ‘to go by
train, by air’.
(vi) Degree of effort: любй ценй ‘at any cost’.
(vii) Quantity: Дом не стрили т'сячами, как сейчс (Rybakov)
‘Houses were not built in thousands as they are now’.
(viii) Form, manner: какм бразом? ‘in what way?’, Снег пдает на
змлю большми хлпьями (Rasputin) ‘The snow falls to earth in
large flakes’.
124 The Noun 98–99
Note
Participial, verbal and other nouns cognate with many of the above also
take the instrumental: владние дмом ‘ownership of a house’ (but