These three universal language generators show you how to say where something comes from, where something is now, and where it is going.
Motion Away From a Location
Perfective Verb
Direct Object
From Where (Prepositional Phrase)
Возьми́ (Take)
стака́н (the glass)
со стула (off of the chair)
Забери (Carry off)
ло́жку (the spoon)
со стола́ (off of the table)
Подними (Lift)
таре́лку (the plate)
с пола (off of the floor)
Убери (Clear away)
ма́льчика (the boy)
с таре́лки (off of the plate)
яйцо́ (the egg)
из стака́на (out of the glass)
книгу (the book)
от меня́ (from me)
Static Location
Subject
Imperfective Verb
Where (Prepositional Phrase)
Стака́н (The glass)
лежи́т (lies on its side)
на стуле (on of the chair)
Ло́жка (The spoon)
стои́т (stands on its bottom)
на столе́ (on the table)
Таре́лка (The dinner plate)
сиди́т (is sitting down)
на полу́ (on the floor)
Ма́льчик (The boy)
на таре́лке (on the plate)
Яйцо́
в стака́не (inside the glass)
Книга
у меня́ (next to me)
When saying where things are Russians prefer to use verbs more specific than “is”. Take care when choosing the verb, Russians understand standing, sitting, and lying a little differently:
лежать
to lie fallen or stretched out. A knife can лежит and will unless you stand it up inside a glass or stick it into the table. I drinking glass will лежит if you knock it over. A dinner plate cannot лежит because it is not tall enough to fall over!
стоять
to stand in a vertical position, possibly on some kind of foot. A boy can стоит on his feet. Drinking glasses стоят on their bottoms which are a kind of foot. Dinner plates стоят too!
сидеть
to “sit” in the sense of occupying a sunk down but still upright position. A boy can сидит on a table or chair, but a drinking glass cannot because it has no legs to fold.
When using this and the next generator, take care to choose only verbs which make sense for the combination of thing and location. For example, “Тарелка сидит на столе.” makes no sense.
< Language Generator 8—Motion and Location