Russian · TORFL Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 39
Мне грустноI feel sad
Feelings and states. Words: грустно, весело, скучно, страшно, приятно, грустный, весёлый, рад, настроение, чувствовать. Key grammar: a feeling through the DATIVE case + an adverb. The person who feels something stands in the dative case (мне, тебе, ему, ей — as in chapter 27 «мне нравится»), and the feeling itself is an adverb in «-о»: «Мне грустно» (I feel sad), «Ей весело» (she feels merry), «Нам скучно» (we feel bored). There is no verb «быть» in the present (zero copula, chapter 5). It is important to tell apart: «Мне грустно» is a state RIGHT NOW, while «Я грустный» (nominative + adjective) is a person’s character in general. English speakers’ mistake: they translate «I am sad» as «Я грустный» ✗, as if it were a character trait. The correct form for a passing feeling: «Мне грустно» ✓. Reading: the silent consonants in «грустно», «чувствовать», «скучно».
Dialogue
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Как настроение?— How’s your mood?
- ivan
- mike
- ivan
- mike
- ivan
- mike
Dialogue
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Как ты себя чувствуешь?— How do you feel?
- anya
- ivan
- anya
- ivan
- anya
- ivan
Vocabulary
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- грустно
adverb[feel] sad
- весело
adverb[feel] merry, fun
- скучно
adverb[feel] bored, boring
- страшно
adverb[feel] scared, scary
- приятно
adverbpleasant, nice
- грустный
adjectivesad (a person’s trait)
- весёлый
adjectivecheerful (a person’s trait)
- рад
adjectiveglad (short form)
- настроение
nounmood
- чувствовать
verbto feel
Grammar
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A feeling through the dative: «Мне грустно», not «Я грустный»
Explanation
To say what you feel right now, Russian uses the DATIVE case + an adverb. The person stands in the dative (мне, тебе, ему, ей, нам, вам, им — the same case as «мне нравится» in chapter 27), and the feeling is an adverb in «-о»: «Мне грустно» (I feel sad), «Ей весело» (she feels merry), «Нам скучно» (we are bored), «Ему страшно» (he is scared). There is no verb — it is like the impersonal weather from chapter 28 («холодно»), only with a person in the dative. Now the IMPORTANT distinction. «Мне грустно» is a state RIGHT NOW, it will pass. But «Я грустный» (nominative + adjective, as in chapter 20) means «I am a sad person by nature» — a trait, not a moment. A small group of feelings uses a short adjective in the nominative that agrees with you: «Я рад» / «Я рада» (I’m glad). English speakers’ mistake: they translate «I am sad» as «Я грустный» ✗, as if it were character. For a passing feeling the correct form is: «Мне грустно» ✓.
Examples
- Мне грустно сегодня.I feel sad today.
- Тебе не скучно здесь?Aren’t you bored here?
- Детям весело в парке.The children are having fun in the park.
- Я рад тебя видеть! У меня хорошее настроение.I’m glad to see you! I’m in a good mood.
Cyrillic
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Непроизносимые согласные: «грустно», «чувствовать»— Silent consonants: «грустно», «чувствовать»
In Russian some consonants are written but NOT pronounced — they «hide» inside a cluster of letters. You have already seen this in the word «здравствуйте»: the first «в» is silent («ZDRÁST-vuy-tye»). The feeling words from this chapter are full of such cases. In the combination «стн» the letter «т» is mute: «грустно» = «GRÚS-na», «грустный» = «GRÚS-nyy» (compare «поздно» = «PÓZ-na», with a mute «д»). In the word «чувствовать» the first «в» in the group «вств» is not sounded: «CHÚS-tva-vatʼ». And the combination «чн» is often read as «шн»: «скучно» = «SKÚSH-na», as in the familiar «конечно» = «kanéshna». Do not try to pronounce every letter — on the contrary, let the extra consonants «fall silent». Read the words aloud and hear how they become smooth.
Read the words aloud:
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