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Questions & Answers about Я пью немного воды.
Why is воды in the genitive case instead of воду?
In Russian, after words that express an indefinite quantity—like немного, много, сколько—you use the partitive genitive. So instead of the accusative воду (“the water” as a definite amount), you say воды to mean “some water” or “a little water.”
Why do we use немного here? What’s the difference between немного and мало?
немного simply means “a little” or “some,” with a neutral or positive tone.
мало means “not much” or “too little,” implying insufficiency.
- Я пью немного воды. → I’m drinking a little water (neutral).
- Я пью мало воды. → I don’t drink much water (suggests it’s not enough).
Can I say Я немного пью воды instead of Я пью немного воды?
Yes, but the emphasis shifts.
- Я пью немного воды is the neutral word order (S-V-O).
- Я немного пью воды highlights that the action itself is limited (you’re emphasizing “a little” in how you drink).
Could I just say Я пью воды?
You can, and it’s colloquially common. It literally means “I drink water,” and context decides if it’s a general habit or “I’m drinking some water now.” Adding немного removes ambiguity by explicitly saying “a small amount.”
Why is the verb пью imperfective and not a perfective form like выпью?
пью is imperfective, highlighting an ongoing or habitual action: “I’m drinking” or “I drink.” Perfective verbs such as выпью focus on the completion or result (“I will drink [it all]”), not the process. To express “I will drink a little water,” you’d use Я выпью немного воды.
What is the stress pattern in немного?
Stress falls on the first syllable: НЕ-мно-го.