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Slavic languages (not just Russian) distinguish the mode of transportation for verbs of motion. So, there is no single "go", there is either "go by foot" or "go
by Mediterraneo10 5y ago
Slavic languages (not just Russian) distinguish the mode of transportation for verbs of motion. So, there is no single "go", there is either "go by foot" or "go by vehicle" and choosing the wrong one makes you sound like a silly foreigner. Similarly ,there is no single "bring", there is "bring on foot" or "bring in a vehicle".
- StavrosK 5y agoOh wow, that's very interesting, thanks!
- gregopet 5y agoAs a native speaker of Slovenian and a decent speaker of Serb/Croatian this is not true for these particular Slavic languages. I can say "Grem v trgovino" / "Idem u dučan" (I'm going to the store) and it implies nothing at all about whether I'm taking the bus, going on foot or riding a horse for that matter.
- idlewords 5y agoThere's a kind of default 'to go' verb in all the Slavic languages I know about, but you can't use it in certain contexts. In Polish, for example, you can similarly say: Idę do sklepu (I'm going to the store) With no implication about mode of transit. For that matter, you can even say: Lecę do sklepu (I'm flying to the store), to imply that you're in a hurry. But you would never say: Idę do Moskwy (I'm going to Moscow) Unless you were actually going there on foot. Sometimes the appropriate verb is required.