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Questions & Answers about Я смеюсь с другом.
What is the literal English translation of Я смеюсь с другом.?
It literally translates to "I laugh with a friend." Depending on context, it can also be understood as "I am laughing with a friend," since Russian uses the present tense to convey both habitual and current actions.
Why is the noun друг changed to другом in this sentence?
The noun appears as другом because it is in the instrumental case. The preposition с (meaning with) requires that the following noun be in the instrumental case, hence друг becomes другом.
What does the ending -юсь in смеюсь indicate?
The ending -юсь shows that the verb смеяться (to laugh) is conjugated in the first person singular present tense. Although many Russian verbs include -ся as a reflexive ending, in смеяться it is simply part of the standard conjugation.
Does the Russian present tense in this sentence indicate an ongoing action or a habitual one?
Russian does not differentiate between a continuous (ongoing) and a simple present (habitual) action. The context of the conversation will determine if Я смеюсь с другом. means "I am laughing with a friend" right now or "I laugh with a friend" in general.
How would the sentence change if you wanted to say "I laugh with my friend"?
To specify possession, you include the possessive pronoun in its instrumental form. The modified sentence becomes Я смеюсь с моим другом. Here, моим is the instrumental form of мой (my) that agrees with другом.