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Welcome to Ep 19.Today’s episode will focus on one of the most intimidating aspects of the Russian language: The notorious Verbs of Motion. It’s a topic worthy of it own podcast, and in my Accelerator course there are ten in-depth lessons—two full weeks of material—dedicated to mastering them. So what, you might be wondering, can we possibly hope to cover in one little podcast? Well, let’s just see.
now, repeat after the speaker…Я еду
any setup, I still wonder if you can get the meaning. Can you
мае я еду в Лондон.
said: In May, ya yedu to London.
she said: In August, ya yedu to Moscow.
what’s your best guess on я еду? It
translates as
I’m going, I’m heading to, I’m traveling toIn May, I’m going to London…or…In August, I’m
turn those into questions. Just for fun—again, making your best
guess—How would you ask a friend: You’re traveling to London?
brother is traveling to Rome?
sister is traveling to Paris?
traveling, you’re traveling, he’s traveling.
know the drill. File it away and let’s do some review. Imagine your
daughter comes out of her grandparents home carrying a balloon and
some gifts, and it wasn’t even her birthday. Ask:
made a surprise for you?” Lit: They made for you a surprise?
your friend: Your drums are in the podval.
you get that “ee” sound at the end of guitars…to make it
to say: They didn’t want to wait.
said that you worked in a bank.
сказали, что ты работал в банке.
get those? Good job. Ok..back to our main topic…
Vlad is on a business trip. A friend calls and asks about his travel
plans. So Vlad tells him…
сейчас в Бостоне, но завтра я еду в
do you think he said? I’m now in Boston but zaftra I’m heading to
probably got that…it translates as tomorrow.
to say the opposite. I’m now in Pittsburgh, but tomorrow I’m heading
сейчас в Питсбурге, но завтра я еду в
run through some common constructions with these. In this first
round, imagine you’re stepping to the door with a suitcase in hand.
You roommate asks where you’re going. Say…
traveling to Minsk….to Portland…to Berlin.
еду…в Минск. / …в Портленд. / …в Берлин.
is traveling to Sydney….to San Diego…to Sevastopol
едет …в Сидней….в Сан Диего…в Севастополь
question..In English, is there any real difference between saying,
traveling to Las Vegas? Well, for one, the word ‘going’ is way more
common. But is there a difference in meaning? Imagine you step
to the door, your roommate asks where you’re going, and you say: “I
am traveling to the grocery store.” — “Oh? Fare thee
well, young explorer. Godspeed on your journey.” Right?
“traveling” is a pretty dramatic word just for some trip
in Russian, я еду means I’m traveling
soon as someone hears it, they envision a long trip. Depending on how
far you’re going, they will envision you either inside a car, a
train, a plane…maybe a bus. And that comes to them in an instant as
soon as they hear еду. It comes to them
before you even say your destination.
doesn’t work like that. If I open the door and I tell my roommate,
he didn’t catch my last word. He has no idea, now, if I’m going just
around the corner, or if I’m flying across the country. Because in
English, the word ‘going’ doesn’t tell us much.
in Russian, the verb of motion that you use conveys TONS of
information. It’s incredible.
me really test your memory. This is from Episode #4. Can you
translate these two phrases?
иду в парк.
we didn’t hear a ‘yeh’ at the end, we assume that second one means:
I’m going to the park.
it does. But, being a verb of motion, it means a lot more than just
“going.” It means, in fact, ‘going on foot.’ It’s the
practice spotting them. Just say whether the person is going on foot
as you open the door, if you tell your Russian roommate: Я
иду
might joke with you…”Seriously? You’re going there on foot?”
again: я иду means
I’m going on footit also means you’re on your way there…that you’re en
makes this difference, too. A kid says…I go to school. He means,
He’s old enough, now, and he goes to school. vs a kid hefting his
school bag…Mom, I’m going to school. He means he’s on his way
there right now. I go…vs I’m going…
Russian, you’d need a totally different verb. Think of it this way.
You’re on the phone with a Russian friend, and at some point you
mention: Я иду в спортзал.
think you’re telling them…I go to the gym.
what does your Russian friend think? They’ll say something like,
“Shoot, I didn’t realize. I’ll let you go.” Because what
you actually said is, “I’m going to the gym..” or “I’m
you want to convey that you go to the gym in general, like the kid
who “goes to school”…you need a totally different verb in
Russian. Я хожу в спортзал.
need to learn that right now. Like I said, there are ten video
lessons in Russian Accelerator that will lead you through all these
versions. And really, video is the only way to explain it anyway,
because we’re describing motion…It’s so much easier to grasp when
for now, just know: Russian conveys much more information with its
you listened to phrases and had to say whether the person was going
by foot or by vehicle. Let’s see if you can say similar
phrases now. First, say just the word ‘library’:
say: I’m heading to the library…implying, on foot. Heading there
counts as doing something to the library, so its ending changes to an
you recall the word for pharmacy?
say: I’m heading to the pharmacy.
discotheque is a cognate. Like the other two, it’s feminine. Listen.
your friend: Are you going to Starbucks?
you going to the store?
you going to the concert?
used the ‘on foot’ versions, because those are places about town. But
going to Kiev…I’m going to St. Petersburg…I’m going to Odessa
еду в Киев…в Санкт Петербург…в Одессу
had to use the ‘by vehicle’ forms for those. And with these next
you going to the seminar? Are you going to a conference?
едешь…на семинар?…на конференцию?
are some of these getting ‘V’ (в) and
others get ‘Na’ (на) ?
why is it: Я иду в магазин.
could give you the textbook explanation about ‘enclosed spaces’
versus ‘open air’ locations, but there are just too many exceptions.
The way I learned them was to assume I needed to use ‘V’–because
it’s the more common one–and then compile a list in my head of
locations that actually require Na. It’s such a small thing, please
don’t let it keep you from using your Russian.
my dire warning at the start of today’s episode—that the Russian
Verbs of Motion are notoriously intimidating—you probably don’t
feel that yet. But let me lead you a bit deeper in. Imagine you’re
traveling with friends and someone calls asking you what everyone’s
up to. In English, we can use the verb “went” for almost
went to the pharmacy. Sara went to the mall. Roger went to a fair.
but in Russian…? In Russian, before you say a single word, you need
to decide: How did Jim go to the pharmacy…On foot or by vehicle?
…and then….Is he still out, or did he get back?
four possibilities, each needing a different verb. Listen…
means: Jim headed off to the pharmacy on foot and he is not back yet.
one means: Jim went to the pharmacy and he’s back home.
headed to the pharmacy by vehicle. He is not back yet.
went to the pharmacy and is back now. He went by vehicle.
English, we say “went” without even thinking. Jim went to
the pharmacy. In Russian, in that same microsecond before I answer my
friend’s question, I have four combinations that I have to I
have to consider.
what’s the tip? Well, the trick is to assign those four
possibilities to people’s actions as they happen. If Jim
leaves on foot, I tell myself..Джим пошёл…I
hold onto that right until he gets back, when I adjust it to: Джим
ходил. (Meaning he left and returned). This way you’re
doing all that calculating long before anyone anyone ever asks you a
question about who went where. It’s one of the tricks we cover in
Russian Accelerator. So don’t let the verbs of motion scare you.
Believe me, with the right exercises, they will absolutely become
for our final exam. I’ll prompt you to
recite today’s three dialogs. You wont know all the words. It’s ok.
After a replay or two you’ll get them all. You ready?
Andrei, are you going to the pharmacy?
Андрей. Ты идёшь в аптеку?
Galina. Are you going now to McDonalds?
Галина. Ты идёшь сейчас в Макдоналдс?
you buy me a double-cheeseburger and potato-fries?
можешь купить мне дабл-чизбургер…и
suitcase…Where are you going?
going to Munich, to a conference.
еду в Мюнхен, на конференцию.
you were in Munich in August, no?
ты была в Мюнхене в августе, нет?
I was in Berlin. I bought a car.
Я была в Берлине. Машину купила.
Great job. The next episode, #20, is our last one. Our final exam.
