14 Comments
1773
Is there a general rule for "mi" going before the verb, like because it's dative?
There is a rule that unaccented pronouns shouldn't be used at the end of the sentence. If you wanted to accent that she helps YOU and not someone else, you could say: "Moja córka często pomaga mnie". But in this context it rather doesn't fit well.
- 1773
Ah, thanks, I didn't realize that mi=mnei in dative. I think this is the first section to use dative, but this rule about short/unaccented words seems to apply across the board. One of these times I will actually remember it :)
I think this is because 'mnie' is the accented form, which would look a bit unnatural here. There's no reason to stress 'mnie', as it isn't "she's helping ME, not you..."
The continuous tense only works in a case like this if you're showing annoyance, and that doesn't really seem to make sense in this sentence.
Could you please give an example of when the continuous tense would work in showing annoyance? It seemed such a strange comment that I thought I must investigate it! Thanks.
- 184
Emily you're not the first person I've read on this course who is saying that but the logic seems highly implausible to me.
If you can find another situation where continuous would make sense here, I'm happy to be proved wrong. :)
- 184
Thanks. I see no reason why the progressive aspect necessarily implies annoyance in any context, including when used for repeated actions.
I'm not saying that the progressive form can't be used to express annoyance. Clearly that usage is common and Jellei provides a good example.
But fundamentally, the progressive is just an aspectual distinction. It takes the perspective that the action has interiority, that it is in progress at the moment or moments specified. In contrast, the simple form sees actions as indivisible without interiority.
So repeated actions are just the same as single actions - the present participle simply provides a progressive lens.
"My daughter often helps me" - no interiority of the helping is considered. They are simply acts that occur.
"My daughter is often helping me" means that my daughter is often in the process of helping me/in the midst of completing the task.
One case in which the progressive form is clearly appropriate for habitual actions is when you refer to a specific moment of time for each action (e.g. When I do finally finish my breakfast and start working on the chores of the day, you'll find my daughter is often helping me).
Another is when you're emphasising the repeated actions from a duration perspective rather than just an occurrence count. (e.g. My daughter is often helping me to keep the family business afloat so she doesn't have much time for a social life unfortunately).
I hope that this was helpful and not just an incomprehensible ramble!
My daughter often helps animals. Would you also use dative for "animals"?
Yes. The recipient of the action of 'helping' takes Dative, no matter who or what it is.
