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Questions & Answers about Мы ценим помощь друзей.
What does the verb ценим mean here, and what is its tense and person?
ценить means “to value” or “to appreciate.” ценим is the first-person plural form in the present tense, so it means “we appreciate.”
Which case is the noun помощь in, and why is it that case?
помощь is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of the verb ценим. For inanimate feminine nouns ending in a soft sign (ь), the accusative form is identical to the nominative.
Why is друзей in the genitive case instead of the nominative or accusative?
In Russian, when one noun expresses “of” another noun (possession or source), the second noun goes into the genitive case. So “help of friends” becomes помощь друзей, and друзья (friends) in the plural genitive becomes друзей.
How do you pronounce this sentence, and where are the stress points?
You pronounce it approximately as [mɨ t͡sɨˈnʲim pɐˈmoɕːʲ drʊˈzʲej]. The stress falls on the second syllable of ценим, the first syllable of помощь, and the second syllable of друзей.
Why isn’t there an article like “the” or “a” before помощь in Russian?
Russian does not use articles. Whether something is definite or indefinite is understood from context, so you simply use помощь for “help” or “the help.”
Could you say мы ценим помощь от друзей instead, using a preposition?
Yes, мы ценим помощь от друзей is grammatically correct and means the same. However, in Russian it’s more common and concise to use the genitive case without a preposition: помощь друзей.
Why is the word order Мы ценим помощь друзей rather than Мы ценим друзей помощь?
Russian word order is flexible, but the norm is to place the main noun (помощь) before its genitive attribute (друзей). Saying помощь друзей clearly shows that “friends” modify “help.”
Is there a difference between ценить помощь and благодарить за помощь?
Yes. ценить помощь focuses on valuing or appreciating help, while благодарить за помощь means “to thank (someone) for help.” The first expresses appreciation in attitude; the second refers to the act of thanking.
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