Chapter 4. The indeterminate verbs of motion

Before we start on the indeterminate verbs of motion, there is one more point of grammar paralleling the kind of choice we must make between куда and где , Two prepositions в and на + locative express location. This is something you have been doing all along.

When в or на governs the locative case: в means "in, at", and на means "on, at".

In sentences with verbs of motion, a question is generally а куда-question. A кyда-question asks, "whereto?" The same prepositions в and на may be used to answer a куда-question. In this case в means "in, to", and на means "on, to". In answering куда-questions, в and на govern the accusative case — в or на + accusative.

Choose the correct form.

Answer:

There is one other pair of adverbial forms meaning "home" used the same way — дома (location) and домой (destination or direction).

Translate the answers to the following questions into Russian using either дома or домой.

Где Иван?

He is at home. _______

Куда идёт Иван?

He is going home. _______

Answer.

Answer:

Since indeterminate verbs are Imperfective verbs, what are the three basic actions expressed by imperfective verbs?

Answer:

If determinate verbs of motion express a progressive (a simple progressive motion along a line at a given moment), then indeterminate verbs express ____________ and ______________.

Answer: repeated action (motion) and naming the action (motion)

To put repeated motion and naming the action into the same sort of definition as the determinate one, let us say that an indeterminate verb may describe:

The repeated or habitual actions when translated into repeated or habitual motions can be thought of as non-progressive motion along a line. Using the indeterminate verb ходить (the partner of the determinate verb идти), turn to the next page and look at the sentences describing non-progressive motion along a line.

Now at the sentence below. Select the best answer.

Зина _____ в школу.

Your Answer: (b) зина ходит в школу. Zina goes to school.

"Zina goes to school" is a non-progressive motion considered as a repeated action or habitual action. It certainly can be interpreted in this way. But can't you also say Зина идёт в школу "Zina is going to school" (a progressive motion along a line at a given moment in time)? This also correct.

The problem is there is not enough information in the rest of the sentence to give you only one possible interpretation. The sentence can be visualized in more than one way.

Most often a sentence with an indeterminate verb of motion will have adverbial clues for repeated or habitual actions.

Can you think of any adverbs or adverbial phrases that will help you visualize the motion as being repeated or habitual?

Turn to page and you will see some that I thought of.

Your Answer:

You are absolutely right. There was not enough Information in the rest of the sentence to be sure of any one single interpretation. The sentence can be visualized in more than one way.

More often than not a sentence with an indeterminate verb will have adverbial clues for repeated or habitual motions.

Can you think of any adverbs or adverbial phrases that will help you visualize the motion as being repeated or habitual?

Turn to page and you will see some that I thought of.

Your Answer: (а) Зина идёт в школу. Zina is going to school.

"Zina is going to school" describes a simple progressive motion along a line at a given moment in time. This is correct as far as it goes. What about Зина ходит в школу "Zina goes to school" (an habitual or repeated motion)? This is also possible.

The problem is there is not enough information in the rest of the sentence to give you only one possible answer. The sentence can be visualized more than one way.

Most often a sentence with an indeterminate verb of motion will have adverbs or adverbial clues for repeated or habitual actions. Can you think of any adverbs or adverbial phrases that will help you visualize the motion as being repeated or habitual? Turn to page and you will see some that I thought of.

Here is my list of adverbial clues or cues that can assist you in choosing the indeterminate from.

In the three sentences below the forms of the determinate идти can not be used.

What are the cues in the sentences that make the forms of the indeterminate ходить the only choice?

Answer:

These clues help you determine that the sentences express a repeated or habitual action. Therefore, the indeterminate verb is called for. An indeterminate verb expresses a non-progressive motion along a line — motion back and forth along that line or motion several times along that line. Since a non-progressive motion can be a back-and-forth motion, the indeterminate verb is sometimes used in the past tense to describe a completed round trip (having gone somewhere and returned).

This round-trip notion easily falls into the definition of what Indeterminate verbs can do, that is, indeterminate verbs express _________________________________.

Answer: motion non-progressively along a line. (At this point any definition using the idea of repeated, habitual, or back-and-forth motion Is correct.)

"Motion non-progressively along a line" is only half of the definition of indeterminate verbs. Can you fill in the blank below?

An indeterminate verb may describe:

Answer: motion having no relation to the line (or any words to that effect).

Indeterminate verbs may also express motion without any reference to a line. This is simply naming the action, a general description of the motion.

Translate the following sentence into Russian.

Answer: я люблю ходить. "I love to walk."

Since the motion is simply described with no relation to a line, the indeterminate verb of motion ходить is required. Let us do one more.

Translate this sentence into Russian.

Our baby can walk. ________________________________.

NOTE: The English modal verb "can" is not translated.

Answer: Наш ребёнок ходит. "Our baby can walk."

Write a definition of an indeterminate verb.

An indeterminate verb expresses:

Answer: An indeterminate verb expresses: (1) motion non-progressively along a line, and (2) motion having no relation to a line.

Now write a definition of a determinate verb.

A determinate verb expresses ____________________.

Answer: A determinate verb expresses a simple progressive motion along a line at a given moment in time.

Circle the correct form:

Answer:

We have now covered the basic uses of the determinate and indeterminate forms of the imperfective verbs of motion. In the next sections we shall apply these principles to some other verbs of motion.