Difference between revisions of "Language/Russian/Grammar/А-vs-Но"

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[[File:A versus OH in Russian.png|alt=A versus OH in Russian|thumb|A versus OH in Russian]].  
[[File:A versus OH in Russian.png||thumb]].  
 
Hello everybody,
Hello everybody,


In today's lesson you will learn when to use A or HO in Russian.
In today's lesson you will learn when to use <code>A</code> or <code>HO</code> in Russian.


Feel free to edit this page by adding new words and expressions!
Feel free to edit this wiki page if needed.


Good learning! :)
Happy learning! 😃


__TOC__


There are many conjunctions in the Russian language but the most difficult ones for foreigners to use are following: «А», «Но».
There are many conjunctions in the Russian language but the most difficult ones for foreigners to use are following: "А", "Но".


There are difficult because it’s very hard to decide which one to use in the appropriate situation, it depends on what speaker wants to say or express.  
They are difficult because it’s very hard to decide which one to use in the appropriate situation, it depends on what speaker wants to say or express.  


Despite the fact that there’s a big difference between these two, Russian learners always face a great deal of problems when picking up which one to use.  
Despite the fact that there’s a big difference between these two, Russian learners always face a great deal of problems when picking up which one to use.  
Line 18: Line 18:
This is why we’ve made this wiki-lesson. 
This is why we’ve made this wiki-lesson. 


Let’s talk about ‘A’ and ‘Но’ as the most difficult and meaningful conjunctions.  
Let’s talk about "A" and "Но" as the most difficult and meaningful conjunctions.  
 
==‘Но’==


Having gained a solid foundation in this subject matter, you may be curious about these related fields of study: [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Genitive-Case|Russian Grammar → Russian Nouns and Gender → Genitive Case ...]], [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Use-of-the-verb-%D0%B1%D1%8B%D1%82%D1%8C-in-the-past|Use of the verb быть in the past]], [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Past-Tense|Past Tense]] & [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Present-Tense|Present Tense]].
=="Но"==
When choosing a conjunction remember the following statements:
When choosing a conjunction remember the following statements:


'''‘Но’''' means that something has occurred is different from the things we expected to happen.  
'''‘Но’''' means something that has occurred is different from the things we expected to happen.  


For example:
'''Examples:'''
 
* Я позвонил ему, но он не ответил
*'''''I called him, but he didn't answer - Я позвонил ему, но он не ответил.'''''
<blockquote>I called him, but he didn't answer</blockquote>


So you expected that he would respond, but he did not. In English they use "but" to express this meaning. The Russian use '''‘Но’''' to express contradiction as in example:
So you expected that he would respond, but he did not. In English they use "but" to express this meaning. The Russian use '''‘Но’''' to express contradiction as in example:


*'''''My car is very old, but good.'''''  – Моя машина очень старая, но хорошая.  
*Моя машина очень старая, но хорошая.
 
<blockquote>My car is very old, but good</blockquote>So despite the fact that it’s old, it’s still good. When we say that a car is old we expect it to be bad, but it’s still good, so we use ‘Но’ in this case.  In the next example:
So despite the fact that it’s old, it’s still good. When we say that a car is old we expect it to be bad, but it’s still good, so we use ‘Но’ in this case.  In the next example:
* У меня есть машина, но нет компьютера
 
<blockquote>I have a car, but not a computer</blockquote>
*'''''I have a car, but not a computer - У меня есть машина, но нет компьютера.'''''


Again, this is contradiction: I have THIS, but not THAT.  
Again, this is contradiction: I have THIS, but not THAT.  


Another example:
Another example:
*У неё маленькая зарплата,  но она любит свою работу.
<blockquote>Her salary is low but she likes her job</blockquote>


*'''''Her salary is low but she likes her job''''' - '''''У неё маленькая зарплата, но она любит свою работу.'''''
Her salary is low, so we expect her to hate her job, but she does not hate it, quite the opposite!


So her salary is low and we expect her to hate her job due to the fact but she does not hate it, but loves it!  
<code>'''➡ To sum it up, the main meaning of "Но" is a contradiction to expectations.'''</code>


''To sum it up, the main meaning of ‘Но’ is a contradiction to expectations.''
Now, we use the "А" conjunction in the comparison constructions like Я изучаю русский, а ты английский


Now, we use the ‘А’ conjunction in the comparison constructions like
*Меня зовут Борис, а тебя Саша.
<blockquote>I study Russian and you study English</blockquote>
*Меня зовут Борис, а тебя Саша.
<blockquote>My name is Boris and your name is Sasha</blockquote>
*Меня зовут Борис, а тебя?
<blockquote>My name is Boris, and what’s your name?</blockquote>


*'''''I study Russian and you study English - Я изучаю русский, а ты английский'''''
=="A"==


*'''''My name is Boris and your name is Sasha''''' - '''''Меня зовут Борис, а тебя Саша.'''''
The "A" conjunction always tells us some new or something different from the things were mentioned before.
 
*'''''My name is Boris, and what’s your name? - Меня зовут Борис, а тебя?'''''
 
==‘A’==
 
The ‘A’ conjunction always tells us some new or something different from the things were mentioned before.


Another way of using ‘A’ is to add some new information, let’s say in purpose to change the subject:
Another way of using ‘A’ is to add some new information, let’s say in purpose to change the subject:
*А, кстати, сколько сейчас времени? Я опаздываю!
<blockquote>Oh, by the way, what time is it, I am late!</blockquote>Remember also that in negative constructions like:
*Это дом, а не машина
<blockquote>This is a house, not a car</blockquote>


*'''''Oh, by the way, what time is it, I am late! - А, кстати, сколько сейчас времени? Я опаздываю!'''''
➡ We have to use "A" conjunction.
 
Remember also that in negative constructions like:
 
*'''''‘This is a house, not a car’ - Это дом, а не машина'''''


''We have to use ‘A’ conjunction.''
So the main difference between ‘A’ and ‘Ho’ is that ‘A’ is not a contradiction, it simply adds some new information into the conversation, whereas ‘Ho’ is a contradiction to expectations.
 
So the main difference between ‘A’ and ‘Ho’ is that ‘A’ is not a contradiction, it simply adds some new information into the conversation, whereas ‘Ho’ is a contradiction to expectations.  


==Exercises==
==Exercises==
Line 94: Line 92:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
|'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
!'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
|'''<big>PRONUNCIATION</big>'''
!'''<big>PRONUNCIATION</big>'''
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
|'''<big>RUSSIAN</big>'''
!'''<big>RUSSIAN</big>'''
|'''<big>PRONUNCIATION BRAZILIAN</big>'''
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|-
|-
|
|'''I CALLED HIM, BUT'''
|
|
|
|
|-
|'''I CALLED HIM, BUT'''  


'''HE DIDN´T ANSWER'''
'''HE DIDN´T ANSWER'''
Line 116: Line 104:
|'''<big>Я ПОЗВОНИЛ ЕМУ,</big>'''  
|'''<big>Я ПОЗВОНИЛ ЕМУ,</big>'''  
'''<big>НО ОН НЕ ОТВЕТИЛ</big>'''
'''<big>НО ОН НЕ ОТВЕТИЛ</big>'''
|'''''iá pasvaníl emú,'''''
'''''no on níê atvíêtiL'''''
|'''EU LIGUEI PRA ELE MAS ELE NÃO RESPONDEU'''
|-
|-
|'''MY CAR IS VERY'''  
|'''MY CAR IS VERY'''  
Line 126: Line 110:
|'''''mah yah mah shih nah oh chihn stah rah yah, noh hah roh shah yah'''''
|'''''mah yah mah shih nah oh chihn stah rah yah, noh hah roh shah yah'''''
|'''<big>МОЯ МАШИНА ОЧЕНЬ СТАРАЯ, НО ХОРОШАЯ</big>'''
|'''<big>МОЯ МАШИНА ОЧЕНЬ СТАРАЯ, НО ХОРОШАЯ</big>'''
|'''''maiá machína ôtchin'''''
'''''staráia, no Horôcháia'''''
|'''MEU CARRO É'''
'''MUITO VELHO, PORÉM BOM'''
|-
|-
|'''I HAVE A CAR, BUT'''  
|'''I HAVE A CAR, BUT'''  
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|'''''ou mih nyah yehst mah shih nah, noh nyeht kahm pih you tih rah'''''
|'''''ou mih nyah yehst mah shih nah, noh nyeht kahm pih you tih rah'''''
|'''<big>У МЕНЯ ЕСТЬ МАШИНА, НО НЕТ КОМПЬЮТЕРА</big>'''
|'''<big>У МЕНЯ ЕСТЬ МАШИНА, НО НЕТ КОМПЬЮТЕРА</big>'''
|'''''u miniá iêst machína, no níêt kampíutira'''''
|'''EU TENHO UM CARRO, NÃO UM COMPUTADOR'''
|-
|-
|'''HER SALARY IS LOW'''  
|'''HER SALARY IS LOW'''  
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'''''zahr plah tah, noh ah nah lih you beet svah you rah boh tou'''''
'''''zahr plah tah, noh ah nah lih you beet svah you rah boh tou'''''
|'''<big>У НЕЁ МАЛЕНЬКАЯ ЗАРПЛАТА, НО ОНА ЛЮБИТ СВОЮ РАБОТУ</big>'''
|'''<big>У НЕЁ МАЛЕНЬКАЯ ЗАРПЛАТА, НО ОНА ЛЮБИТ СВОЮ РАБОТУ</big>'''
|'''''u niiô malíenkaia zarpláta, no aná líubit sváiu rabôtu'''''
|'''O SALÁRIO DELA É POUCO MAS ELA GOSTA DO TRABALHO'''
|-
|-
|'''I STUDY RUSSIAN AND'''  
|'''I STUDY RUSSIAN AND'''  
Line 157: Line 132:


'''<big>А ТЫ АНГЛИЙСКИЙ</big>'''
'''<big>А ТЫ АНГЛИЙСКИЙ</big>'''
|'''''iá izutcháio ruskíi,'''''
'''''a tâ anglískii'''''
|'''EU ESTUDO RUSSO E VOCÊ ESTUDA INGLÊS'''
|-
|-
|'''MY NAME IS BORIS AND'''  
|'''MY NAME IS BORIS AND'''  
Line 169: Line 141:


'''<big>А ТЕБЯ САША</big>'''
'''<big>А ТЕБЯ САША</big>'''
|'''''miniá zabút bóris,'''''
'''''a tebiá sácha'''''
|'''ME CHAMO BORIS E VOCÊ SE CHAMA SASHA'''
|-
|-
|'''MY NAME IS BORIS, AND'''
|'''MY NAME IS BORIS, AND'''
Line 180: Line 149:


'''<big>А ТЕБЯ ?</big>'''
'''<big>А ТЕБЯ ?</big>'''
|'''''miniá zavút bóris,'''''
'''''a tebiá ?'''''
|'''ME CHAMO BORIS, E VOCÊ ?'''
|-
| ---------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|'''OH, BY THE WAY, WHAT TIME IS IT ? I´M LATE'''
|'''OH, BY THE WAY, WHAT TIME IS IT ? I´M LATE'''
Line 196: Line 155:
|'''<big>А, КСТАТИ, СКОЛЬКО СЕЙЧАС ВРЕМЕНИ ?</big>'''  
|'''<big>А, КСТАТИ, СКОЛЬКО СЕЙЧАС ВРЕМЕНИ ?</big>'''  
'''<big>Я ОПАЗДЫВАЮ</big>'''
'''<big>Я ОПАЗДЫВАЮ</big>'''
|'''''a, kistáti, skôLka'''''
'''''ci tchás vriminí ?'''''
'''''iá apasdâváiu'''''
|'''E, A PROPÓSITO, QUE HORAS SÃO ? EU TÔ ATRASADO'''
|-
|-
|'''THIS IS A HOUSE,'''  
|'''THIS IS A HOUSE,'''  
Line 209: Line 163:
|'''<big>ЭТО ДОМ, А НЕ</big>'''  
|'''<big>ЭТО ДОМ, А НЕ</big>'''  
'''<big>МАШИНА</big>'''
'''<big>МАШИНА</big>'''
|'''''éta dôm, a níê'''''
'''''machína'''''
|'''ISSO É UMA CASA. NÃO UM CARRO'''
|}
|}
==Other Lessons==
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/The-verb-to-have|The verb to have]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Personal-Pronouns|Personal Pronouns]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Порядок-слов-в-русском-предложении|Порядок слов в русском предложении]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Pronouns|Pronouns]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Plurals|Plurals]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Very-important-rules|Very important rules]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Russian-cases|Russian cases]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have|How to Use Have]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Punctuation|Punctuation]]
* [[Language/Russian/Grammar/Use-of-the-verb-быть-in-the-past|Use of the verb быть in the past]]
<span links></span>

Latest revision as of 06:22, 18 July 2023

A versus OH in Russian.png

.

Hello everybody,

In today's lesson you will learn when to use A or HO in Russian.

Feel free to edit this wiki page if needed.

Happy learning! 😃

There are many conjunctions in the Russian language but the most difficult ones for foreigners to use are following: "А", "Но".

They are difficult because it’s very hard to decide which one to use in the appropriate situation, it depends on what speaker wants to say or express.

Despite the fact that there’s a big difference between these two, Russian learners always face a great deal of problems when picking up which one to use.

This is why we’ve made this wiki-lesson. 

Let’s talk about "A" and "Но" as the most difficult and meaningful conjunctions.

Having gained a solid foundation in this subject matter, you may be curious about these related fields of study: Russian Grammar → Russian Nouns and Gender → Genitive Case ..., Use of the verb быть in the past, Past Tense & Present Tense.

"Но"[edit | edit source]

When choosing a conjunction remember the following statements:

‘Но’ means something that has occurred is different from the things we expected to happen.  

Examples:

  • Я позвонил ему, но он не ответил

I called him, but he didn't answer

So you expected that he would respond, but he did not. In English they use "but" to express this meaning. The Russian use ‘Но’ to express contradiction as in example:

  • Моя машина очень старая, но хорошая.

My car is very old, but good

So despite the fact that it’s old, it’s still good. When we say that a car is old we expect it to be bad, but it’s still good, so we use ‘Но’ in this case.  In the next example:

  • У меня есть машина, но нет компьютера

I have a car, but not a computer

Again, this is contradiction: I have THIS, but not THAT.

Another example:

  • У неё маленькая зарплата, но она любит свою работу.

Her salary is low but she likes her job

Her salary is low, so we expect her to hate her job, but she does not hate it, quite the opposite!

➡ To sum it up, the main meaning of "Но" is a contradiction to expectations.

Now, we use the "А" conjunction in the comparison constructions like Я изучаю русский, а ты английский

  • Меня зовут Борис, а тебя Саша.

I study Russian and you study English

  • Меня зовут Борис, а тебя Саша.

My name is Boris and your name is Sasha

  • Меня зовут Борис, а тебя?

My name is Boris, and what’s your name?

"A"[edit | edit source]

The "A" conjunction always tells us some new or something different from the things were mentioned before.

Another way of using ‘A’ is to add some new information, let’s say in purpose to change the subject:

  • А, кстати, сколько сейчас времени? Я опаздываю!

Oh, by the way, what time is it, I am late!

Remember also that in negative constructions like:

  • Это дом, а не машина

This is a house, not a car

➡ We have to use "A" conjunction.

So the main difference between ‘A’ and ‘Ho’ is that ‘A’ is not a contradiction, it simply adds some new information into the conversation, whereas ‘Ho’ is a contradiction to expectations.

Exercises[edit | edit source]

Great. Now let’s have a look at some exercises to train our skills. Let’s do a small quiz.

А или НО

  1. У меня есть машина, (1) нет дома
  2. Это мой друг, (2) это мой враг.
  3. У меня высокая зарплата, (3) я не люблю свою работу
  4. У тебя есть брат, (4) у меня есть сестра
  5. Я позвонил президенту, (5)  он сказал, что он больше не президент.
  6. Я хотел купить учебник, (6) забыл деньги дома.
  7. Эта машина очень старая, (7) ездит прекрасно
  8. Этот поезд выезжает в 10, (8) тот в 12.
  9. У меня нет учебника, (9) у тебя есть.
  10. Этот кинотеатр хороший, (10) очень дорогой.

So, in this small lesson we’ve discussed two very important conjunctions in the Russian Language.  Complete the exercise above and leave your comments if you have any questions about that or any other topic. Thank you for your attention!

Examples of use[edit | edit source]

ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

ENGLISH

RUSSIAN
I CALLED HIM, BUT

HE DIDN´T ANSWER

yah pahs vah nihl ih mou, noh ohn nyeh

aht vyeh tihl

Я ПОЗВОНИЛ ЕМУ,

НО ОН НЕ ОТВЕТИЛ

MY CAR IS VERY

OLD, BUT GOOD

mah yah mah shih nah oh chihn stah rah yah, noh hah roh shah yah МОЯ МАШИНА ОЧЕНЬ СТАРАЯ, НО ХОРОШАЯ
I HAVE A CAR, BUT

NOT A COMPUTER

ou mih nyah yehst mah shih nah, noh nyeht kahm pih you tih rah У МЕНЯ ЕСТЬ МАШИНА, НО НЕТ КОМПЬЮТЕРА
HER SALARY IS LOW

BUT SHE LIKES HER JOB

ou nee yoh mah lyeh kah yah

zahr plah tah, noh ah nah lih you beet svah you rah boh tou

У НЕЁ МАЛЕНЬКАЯ ЗАРПЛАТА, НО ОНА ЛЮБИТ СВОЮ РАБОТУ
I STUDY RUSSIAN AND

YOU STUDY ENGLISH

yah ih zou chah you roos kee, ah tuh ahn glees kee Я ИЗУЧАЮ РУССКИЙ,

А ТЫ АНГЛИЙСКИЙ

MY NAME IS BORIS AND

YOUR NAME IS SASHA

mih nyah zah voot boh rihs,

ah tih byah sah shah

МЕНЯ ЗОВУТ БОРИС,

А ТЕБЯ САША

MY NAME IS BORIS, AND

WHAT´S YOUR NAME ?

mih nyah zah voot boh rihs, ah tih byah ? МЕНЯ ЗОВУТ БОРИС,

А ТЕБЯ ?

OH, BY THE WAY, WHAT TIME IS IT ? I´M LATE ah kihs tah tih, skohl kah sih chahs vrih mih nih ?

yah ah pahs duh vah you

А, КСТАТИ, СКОЛЬКО СЕЙЧАС ВРЕМЕНИ ?

Я ОПАЗДЫВАЮ

THIS IS A HOUSE,

NOT A CAR

eh tah dohm, ah nyeh

mah shih nah

ЭТО ДОМ, А НЕ

МАШИНА

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

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