"My horse is not an artist but an architect."
Translation:Моя лошадь не художник, а архитектор.
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And this is why you shouldn't (or should) drink vodka while preparing language courses, kids...
Did the content creators actually write this sentence or was it just randomly generated by a computer?
Well, I think we can all agree that this is the oddest sentence on the site, yes?
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Just have a look at the Dutch course. "I am a bit unsure about the clothes of the rhinoceros"
You can use this sentence for example when someone tells you your house is ugly :-)
I understand what you're replying to however, there were some rumors about Catherine...
Yeah, from what I heard about her, she made a human bridge out of about a hundred soldiers to make a crossing and broke all of their backs
In answer to your question below/above: Not on a mixed age website like Duolingo. They were probably just slanderous attempts at mystifying a powerful woman anyway, rather than anything based on truth.
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Sometimes you see a sentence, and you just know that the comment section will be juicy!!:DDD
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I didn't knew that you could have photos in comments. My favourite social media is duolingo.
I'm starting to think horses have a very different societal role in Russia..
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It had to be a horse right? They couldn't use "друг" or "коллега" which would make a LOT more sense. Just like a previous sentence "Whose fly is this"....
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I believe they run everything through tests to see whether you remember it better this way and then go with it. Check Duolingo blog to see how amd why it is made as it is.
In my country, a horse (or a donkey) would be better choices than the actual president.
I got this in multiple choice and it only accepted а and not но. Why is that?
I'm not entirely sure, but I think it should not be но because it isn't really an antithesis. Theoretically the horse could be both. They are not mutually exclusive.
The english translation it lists uses the word "but", so it SHOULD accept но as well.
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In the Russian language there are two opposing unions, comparisons, 'а' and 'но' In the sentence, they serve as the connection of two parts of sentences. There is a difference between them.
The union "a" is used when opposing various things, objects or persons. This is a milder form of opposition This union may also have a coupling value:– This is a horse and this is a donkey / Это лошадь, а это осёл.
In this case we are talking about different professions, but the professions of a single object (лошади). My horse is not an artist but an architect. Моя лошадь не художник, а архитектор.
This union 'но' is used when opposing different signs of the same thing, object or person. This is a stronger form of opposition. It does not have a connective value, rather it just puts the same object, object or person to the maximum:
My horse is still running, but she was very tired /Моя лошадь всё ещё работает (бежит), но она очень устала.
My horse likes its work very much but its salary is small /Моя лошадь очень любит свою работу, но у неё маленькая зарплата.
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Considering the sorry state of the modem architecture, your horse is definitely an improvement in the profession.
if you judge an architect horse by her ability to create art, she will only think that she is stupid?
OMG!!!! I can't wait to arrive in Russia and say this sentence to the first Russian I see! Whoever it will be, I'm sure can't wait to get this important info! :)))
«Чья это муха?» - спросила Алиса. «Он принадлежит лошади», - сказала гусеница. «Но муха такая уродливая!» - сказала Алиса. «Лошадь - архитектор, а не художник», - ответила гусеница.
Такая аккуратная сказка. (I hope that's correct.) Тhe 'Duolingo short story' :D
So if you work like a horse you are working like an architect, is that a Russian cultural joke?
Is художник also for female? Isn't there a художница or something like that?
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No. Моя лошадь не является /is not художником (не художник). Она - скульптор / She is a sculptor )).
I am confused about не rather than нет here. My horse IS NOT = не есть /нет. Can someone clarify this?
Есть is normally not spoken nor written in present tense, only in statements like "there is" (or isn't) or to say something exists.
Why aren't those professions in the accusitave case? The subject of the sentence is the horse.
They are predicate, which are in nominative (or sometimes instrumental case). Accusative is used for direct objects.
When your horse kicks out part of a wall, you can label it an artist, when the shape of the hole reminds you of a silhouette of a head. But you can also label it an architect, when the hole functions as a new door to the store room with its food. ;-)
It is actually worth pointing out that it is well known within language learning that language students tend to remember the sentences that are the most absurd.
If you remember these sentences, then you'll learn. That's the whole point.
I selected Моя лошадь не художница, а архитекторе and it was wrong. If the horse is feminine, why should artist and architect not be?
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Моя лошадь не художник, а архитектор (without e)
Many nouns in the Russian language denoting the profession or position, are used only in the masculine form, even if we are talking about a woman. For example, we say, Иван - талантливый врач/ Ivan is a talented doctor. Анна Петровна - талантливый врач /Anna Petrovna is a talented doctor. This is due to the fact that for a long time, many jobs and positions were "male": a doctor, surgeon, architect, Director, engineer, Dean, Professor, etc. Such words are used with masculine adjectives and verbs in the feminine (past tense)
.For example: 1. Моя мать - хороший инженер /My mother is a good engineer. The adjective "good" we use the masculine form. 2. Вера стала известным архитектором/ Vera became a famous architect. The verb "became" we use the feminine. The adjective "famous" and the noun "architect" we use in the form of masculine (instrumental case).
To designate certain professions are special suffixes that indicate that we are talking about a woman: писатель -писательница; учитель- учительница; студент-студентка; артист-артистка. These words can be used in colloquial speech. But in a formal setting and in the documents of profession women is always listed in the masculine gender: учитель, not учительница.
Sometimes, to designate the profession women used suffixes -ш - and -их. For example: директор - директорша, врач - врачиха. They give the word a hint of disdain.
There are names of professions, which uses only feminine example: няня/babysitter, балерина/ballerina. Historically, these professions were only for women. To refer to male professionals need to use descriptive expressions: the person who cares for young children or the sick; ballet dancer.
This tells how much esteem Russians have for their architects. Maybe because they could just build grey tall buildings all the same...
The difference can be subtile. Sometimes both are possible. In this case I believe it's because а is used for corrections like "something is not x, but y", amongst other things. The use of но seems restricted to logical contradictions. Because it's perfectly possible to be both an artist and an architect, there's no logical contradiction here.
Woow that must be some really intelligent horse. I kind of regret paying for the plus version when you see this kind of sentences
Has no one seen Mr. Ed reruns? The talking horse was an artist and the owner an architect. In the Duo-verse it seems to be flipped.
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Glad to see previous learners are thinking the same thing I am. Since when can a horse be an architect? That was Wilburs job, not Mr. Eds.
Um, my horse is not an artist but an architect? I know there translation but where in Russia are there artist or architects?
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And please tell me what's wrong with this? "моя лошадь не художник зато архитектор" Already reported
Ah yes of course, Russia the land of bears drinking vodka and horses that are architects
