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- "Я говорю по-английски, а мам…
20 Comments
It's strange even in English, looks like you are saying "I don't speak mom"
wouldn't be it be better to say я говорю по-ангийски но мама - нет? since you are trying to compare?
I speak/know the english way, but mom is not (the english way)? Is that the logic behind the "–" here?
You can see all the logic in the original translation: I speak English and mom does not. It is all but literal. We use "нет" instead of "don't", "doesn't", "isn't", and so on, when it's a contraction of a full phrase:
- Я ем рис, а ты нет. I eat rice, and you don't.
- У тебя есть кошка, а у меня нет. You have a cat, and I don't.
- Ты бегаешь быстро, а я нет. You run fast, and I don't (I'm not fast).
Yes but in your sentences you don't add the "—" at any point. I don't understand why there is one here.
I'm not really sure it's necessary here. Can't recall a rule that requires it. My guess is that it is better to use the dash with a noun (like "мама") and omit it with pronouns (like "я"). But I'm not 100% sure.
The logic behing the "—" is that this part of the sentence is contracted, you don't say "а мама не говорит по-английски".
No, that's not what I meant. In the original phrase "а мама - нет", the dash is used instead of "не говорит по-английски".
The dash just doesn't seem right with pronouns.
Oh, ok I will try to get that idea and use it in the future then! Спасибо Ольга!
I wrote it right, what are you saying? I wrote Ольга! ... okay im just kidding, I failed writting your name and I feel bad about it :( :p
514
it is the 'does' in the second part of the English sentence.
often it means 'to be: am/is/are', but here the verb suggested is 'govor-'.
the line avoids repeating the verb 'to speak' - adjusting it to suit 3rd Person usage - and avoids using another verb like 'to do: does', as was required in English.
Russian has a neat shorthand technique. English - not! ;)
Nope. No logic. I wrote "I speak English but mom does not." They said it's wrong. No, it isn't.
"I speak English, but not my mom," was my answer, and it was counted wrong even though this would make sense in English. Obviously I don't speak my mom; it would be understood that my mom doesn't speak English.
I dont think the hyphon should determine whether or not I got the wrong answer seeing as I typed everything that was in the amswer including words and spelling.
