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Questions & Answers about У меня хорошая память.
Why do we use У меня instead of Я имею to express “I have”?
In Russian, possession is most naturally expressed with у + genitive (and optionally есть). So У меня хорошая память literally means “At me [is] good memory.” While Я имею память would be understood, иметь in this sense sounds bookish or overly formal and is rarely used in everyday speech.
What case is меня, and why?
Меня is the genitive singular form of я (“I”). The preposition у always requires the following noun or pronoun to be in the genitive case, so у + кого? → у меня (“at me”).
Why isn’t there a verb like есть (“to be”) in the sentence?
In Russian, the present‐tense form of быть (“to be”)—namely есть—is usually omitted. The full version would be У меня есть хорошая память, but in everyday speech and writing you drop есть without changing the meaning.
What case and gender is память, and why is хорошая used here?
Память (“memory”) is a feminine noun (it ends in a soft sign ь) and, in this construction, it appears in the nominative case because it’s the predicate of the implied есть. The adjective хорошая agrees with память in gender (feminine), number (singular), and case (nominative).
Why are there no articles like a or the in the translation?
Russian does not have definite or indefinite articles. You simply say хорошая память for both “a good memory” and “the good memory,” relying on context to distinguish them.
How do you pronounce память, and where is the stress?
Память is pronounced [ˈpamʲɪtʲ], with the stress on the first syllable: PÁM-yitʲ. The soft sign (ь) palatalizes the preceding т, giving it a slight “tʲ” sound.
Can I change the word order to Хорошая у меня память?
Yes. Russian allows relatively free word order for emphasis. У меня хорошая память is the neutral order. Хорошая у меня память puts extra emphasis on хорошая (the quality), giving it a more poetic or emphatic nuance.
Could I say Я имею хорошую память instead?
Technically yes, but я имею + direct object is stilted when talking about possession. Native speakers almost always use у меня (есть) for “I have.” Я имею хорошую память would sound like a literal translation from English and feel overly formal.
What’s the difference between память and воспоминание?
Память refers to the faculty or capacity to remember things in general (memory ability), while воспоминание (plural воспоминания) means a specific recollection or memory of a past event (a particular remembered moment).
How would I say “He has a good memory” using the same structure?
You’d adjust the pronoun in the genitive: У него хорошая память. Here него is the genitive of он (“he”), so it literally means “At him [is] good memory.”