✧ Russian grammar - Verb есть ✧
На пляже есть пальмы, песок, морская вода, волны… А у принцессы есть милый зонтик!
· In Russian, there is a verb that is used very frequently but has various translations: the verb есть.
· In a military context, есть is an affirmative response to an order.
Партия сказала: надо! Комсомол ответил: есть! – The Party said: “We must do it!” The Komsomol replied: “Yes, sir!” [an ironic expression used to mock subordinates who obey their superiors’ orders without objection].
· Есть is also the name of the sixth letter of the Church Slavonic alphabet, namely the letter “е.”
· When it can be followed by something edible or is equivalent to the verb кушать, it means “to eat.”
- In this case, есть is the infinitive, and its aspectual pairs are поесть and съесть.
Я хотела бы есть в ресторане. – I'd like to eat in the restaurant.
Ты случайно не хочешь есть печенье? - Would you like to eat cookies?
- It can also mean “to eat” in the figurative sense of “to torment, to gnaw away at, to consume, to eat away at, to not leave someone in peace”.
Эта последняя мысль ела старика день и ночь. - That last thought gnawed at the old man day and night.
Особенно по воскресеньям меня ела тоска, когда я вспоминал о Чугуеве. - Especially on Sundays, I was overcome with longing when I thought of Chuguev.
· In theory, есть is the conjugated present tense form of быть (to be). However, its use is very restricted and it appears only in specific contexts.
- Есть was formerly the third-person present tense form of the verb быть, but later became the standard form for all persons in the present tense.
- In most cases, the verb быть is omitted in the present tense, but it appears in the past and future tenses.
Я – студентка. – I am a student.
Я была студенткой. – I was a student.
Я буду студенткой. – I will be a student.
- When the present appears as есть, the past and future tenses will also be the forms of быть.
Так было, так есть и так будет всегда! – ¡Así fue, así es y así será siempre! [del himno nacional de la Federación Rusa]
- When it appears, it is often used for emphasis, and therefore is not mandatory.
Я (и есть) тот человек. – I am that very same person.
Кто ты (есть)? — говорил он, играя пальцами, приподняв брови. - And who are you? – he said, playing with his fingers and raising his eyebrows.
Что?! Этот крохотное насекомое (и есть) чёрная вдова? - What?! Is that tiny insect really a black widow?
Нет никаких сомнений, что это (и есть) окаменелость. - There is no doubt that this is indeed a fossil.
- It is required when there is a subordinate clause that does not include the predicate “in reality.”
Они идеальны именно такими, какие они есть. - They are perfect just the way they are [in reality].
Я не хотела, чтоб вы думали обо мне лучше, чем я есть. - I didn't want you to think I was better than I really am [in reality].
- Compare this with the following sentence, in which the predicate is omitted because it is not “in reality.”
Они выше, чем я. – They are taller than me (=I am tall).
- Compare this with the following sentence, which contains an explicit attribute (каков), so the есть can be omitted.
Я увидел его таким, каков он (есть) на самом деле. - I saw him just as he really is.
- It is also mandatory in constructions where a word is defined using that same word (tautological constructions).
- It can be followed by the particle и for emphasis.
Месть и есть лучшая месть. – Vengeance is the best vengeance.
Приказ и есть приказ – An order is an order.
Дети есть дети. – Kids are kids.
- The есть can be replaced here for это.
Дети – это дети. – Kids are kids.
Приказ – это приказ – An order is an order.
✧ As the verb there is/are ✧
· It is sometimes translated as “there is/are,” if it can be followed by a circumstantial complement of place or if it is equivalent to существовать.
Есть чем гордиться. - There's something to be proud of..
Есть ли что-то в твоей жизни, о чем ты жалеешь? – Is there anything in your life you regret?
Но наверняка есть и лучше варианты. - But surely there are better options.
- As in the previous case, the past and future tenses are the same as those of the verb быть.
В городе, где я когда-то жил, есть широкая улица. - There is a wide street in the city where I lived long ago.
В городе, где я когда-то жил, была широкая улица. - There was a wide street in the city where I lived long ago.
В городе, где я когда-то жил, будет широкая улица. - There will be a wide street in the city where I lived long ago.
- In some cases, есть can be omitted in the present tense. When it appears, it emphasizes the existence of the subject, whereas when it is omitted, the focus is on the subject's quality.
В комнате есть свет. – There is a light in the room. <- What matters is the existence of a light.
В комнате слабый свет. – There is a dim light in the room. <- What matters is the quality of the light.
- Para negar la frase, el sujeto (es decir, lo que existe) pasa al genitivo y el есть cambia por:
Полезных ископаемых нет. - There are no mineral resources.
-> Не было in the past (for all grammatical persons and numbers).
Не было ничего нового. - There was nothing new.
-> Не будет in the future (for all grammatical persons and numbers).
Теперь покоя не будет сто лет. - There won't be peace for a hundred years.
· Likewise, есть takes on the meaning of “to have” when accompanied by “у” + the genitive case and is equivalent to иметь.
- It is often said that this structure translates literally as “near X there is Y.”
У тебя есть какой-то вопрос? – Do you have any questions?
У него есть дурные намерения! - He has bad intentions!
- The present-tense есть can be omitted for the same reasons as in the previous point.
У меня дети. – I have children <- What’s important is the existence of the children.
У меня шестеро детей. – I have six children <- What’s important is the number of children.
- This usage can also be translated using a possessive, especially when the subject (i.e., the object being possessed) is accompanied by a verb with complements.
Пять лет назад у меня умер муж. - My husband died five years ago.
- If the verb is omitted, it can be translated using either the verb “to have” or a possessive.
Волосы у меня слишком длинные. – My hair is too long. / I have really long hair.
Мне кажется у вас полегче система. - It seems to me that your system is simpler. / It seems to me that you have a simpler system.
У вас на счету мало денег. – There’s not much money in your account. / You have little money in your account.
- This construction is very common in many expressions that in English could be translated using a possessive.
От дыма у меня болит голова. – My head hurts because of the smoke.
У него совсем поехала крыша. – He’s completely lost his mind. [lit. his head fully went away]
Сорвалось у тебя невольно с языка. – It just slipped out before you knew it. [lit. it slipped out of your tongue without you meaning to]
