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Questions & Answers about Я наслаждаюсь моментом.
Why is моментом in the instrumental case, not the accusative?
The verb наслаждаться governs the instrumental case for its object. In Russian you “enjoy” something by using the pattern наслаждаться + instrumental (наслаждаться чем?), so моментом is correct, not the accusative момент.
What person, number, tense, and aspect is the form наслаждаюсь?
It’s first person singular, present tense, imperfective aspect.
- Imperfective verbs describe ongoing or habitual actions.
- The perfective counterpart is насладиться, which would focus on completing the action (e.g. “I will have enjoyed the moment”).
Is наслаждаться a reflexive verb? What does the -ся suffix do here?
Yes. The -ся makes it “reflexive,” turning “to enjoy” into literally “to enjoy oneself.” It shows the subject (Я) is both performing and receiving the action of enjoying.
Can I drop я from Я наслаждаюсь моментом?
Absolutely. Russian often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending -юсь already signals first person singular. You can simply say Наслаждаюсь моментом.
How would you say “I will enjoy the moment” in Russian?
You have two choices:
• Future imperfective: Я буду наслаждаться моментом (I will be enjoying the moment – emphasizes the ongoing nature).
• Future perfective: Я насладюсь моментом (I will enjoy the moment to completion).
How do you say “I enjoyed the moment” in Russian?
Use the past tense of the imperfective:
• If you’re male: Я наслаждался моментом
• If you’re female: Я наслаждалась моментом
This highlights the process of enjoying rather than the completion.
Could you add этим before моментом? How does that change the meaning?
Yes. Я наслаждаюсь этим моментом means “I’m enjoying this moment,” with этим (“this”) emphasizing the specific moment right now, rather than moments in general.
What’s the difference between момент and миг?
Both translate as “moment,” but:
- момент is a general point in time (it can be a bit longer).
- миг implies a very brief, fleeting instant (“in the blink of an eye”).
How do you pronounce наслаждаюсь? Where is the stress?
Pronunciation: [nəsɫɐˈʐdajʊsʲ]. The stress falls on да (на-сла-ЖДА-юсь).
- ж is like the “s” in “measure.”
- ю sounds like the English “you.”
Why is there no preposition before моментом?
In Russian, certain verbs (including наслаждаться) directly take the instrumental case without a preposition to indicate the object being enjoyed. The instrumental itself expresses “with” or “by means of,” so a separate preposition isn’t needed.