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- Topic: Russian >
- "Можете нарезать картошку?"
41 Comments
423
I often see the word можете, or можешь, used without a pronoun. I think it is because it often functions as an imperative-type sentence (as here), which doesn't use pronouns.
I don't think this sentence is in any way special and demands special treatment in Duolingo. I don't know why the course creators didn't use a pronoun here.
In general, pronouns are often dropped in colloquial speech, but rarely dropped in written texts and in formal language. Maybe this sentence sounds colloquial so that's why the pronoun is dropped? After all, we don't often ask about cutting potatoes in a formal way... That's my guess.
It really confused me and this sentence should be changed to use the pronoun, no reason to drop it here without any context.
- 999
The reason is that можете is clearly you-plural form, so a pronoun вы is not necessary.
Карто́шки can be either a accusative plural form, or a genitive singular form.
It’s not plural because «карто́шка» is an uncountable mass noun. It behaves like «rice» in English.
But if you wanted to use a genitive singular, you can. «Можете нарезать карто́шки?» sounds OK with genitive too. Accusative shifts the meaning towards 'all the potatoes', while Genitive shifts the meaning towards 'some potatoes'.
I have heard the plural forms of картошка used quite often by native Russian speakers. Online dictionaries also seem to indicate that plural forms for картошка do exist, while it is formal картофель which is the uncountable collective (mass) noun.
Yes, I was corrected in some other topic.
I personally don't use it in plural, but such option indeed exists.
middiefrosh has asked up above: "How come the pronoun isn't required here but is elsewhere?"................I was marked wrong for using "Can I..."
You can't use «can I» because «мо́жете» is a 2nd person plural form, so it can only be used with «вы» (but plural form can be used to address one person for politeness). So, «можете» implies «вы» and you can't translate it "can I", "can I" is «могу я?».
As for accepting or not accepting pronouns: generally, pronouns are needed in written and formal speech, but can often be dropped in dialogues and in informal situations. Maybe this phrase is written without a pronoun because it's something you often hear and rarely see written, so that's why it's written with a dropped pronoun.
"Can you cut up the potatoes?" doesn't - erm - cut it.
I wonder why. I'm pretty cut up about it.
Accusative Singular. You can find all the declensions of картошка here. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%88%D0%BA%D0%B0 This of course does mean either the English or Russin sentence is, as of right now, not a correct translation.
I would say «мо́жете поре́зать карто́фелину»? (But if precision is not required, you can use the «карто́шку» for one potato too. I'm not sure about the verb, for some reason «поре́зать» sounds slightly better to my ear when speaking about one potato, but it might be just me.)
Well, I try to write the standard forms in Duolingo, but in this exact case I just didn't know my stress is non-standard :)
Upd.: I've updated my message.
- 1535
According to my conjugation table, both perfective and imperfective aspects of the infinitive are spelled the same, but the stressed syllable is different: нареза́ть (imperfective) / наре́зать (perfective).
While I realize the computer voice is far from accurate, at least for this sentence, I hear "her" saying the perfective aspect infinitive. Would that be correct?
Yes, that’s correct. She is pronouncing «наре́зать», and this sentence sounds natural with «наре́зать». «Мо́жете наре́зать» is a question about slicing a certain number of potatoes.
(«Мо́жете нареза́ть» could work if you’re asking to slice potatoes for some period of time, and it doesn’t matter if you slice all of them or not; or if you’re asking to be slicing potatoes repeatedly, not just one time.)
- 439
My question pertains to нарезать. Does it mean slice specifically? As in sliced potatoes for scalloped potatoes? If so, how do I say "cut up", "chop" or "dice" (onions, or potatoes for hash browns)?
Thanks!
Typically in questions you're asking for permission to do something... typically people only say "MAY you?" when they're being passive-aggressive about someone misusing the verb can.
можете is the second person plural/formal conjugation of the verb мочь (Вы можете). Even though Вы is not stated explicitly, "you" (the person with whom you're speaking) is the logical subject of the sentence based on the verb conjugation.
im pretty sure "can you" can works as well as "could you" it should not be marked as incorrect
- 432
картошку is singular isn't it? Shouldn't this sentence be translated as "Can you slice the potato?"
- 423
From what I understand, it can be singular, plural OR mass. So "potatoes" and "potato" should both be fine.
However, looking at the context of the sentence, notice that the subject is plural (because можете). How likely is it that someone is asking a group of people to slice one single potato? ;)
- 432
можете can be used with a single person, too, to make the sentence sound polite.
картошку could be a singular noun or a mass noun, but not a plural noun for sure. I answered "Can you slice the potato?", but Duolingo didn't accept my answer. :(
Apart from the grammar being hard, shouldn't I be able to hear a difference between the endings on the potatoes? It doesn't sound like a "у " instead of "a". Pronunciation rules seem more like guidelines. Very hard to get used to.
