Breakdown of Разумеется, я не знаю, нравится ли тебе наш новый сад.
я
I
новый
new
не
not
сад
the garden
ты
you
знать
to know
наш
our
нравиться
to like
ли
whether
разумеется
of course
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Questions & Answers about Разумеется, я не знаю, нравится ли тебе наш новый сад.
What does Разумеется mean and how is it used here?
Разумеется means “of course” or “naturally.” Here it’s an introductory adverbial phrase expressing that the speaker considers what follows to be self-evident.
Why is there a comma after Разумеется?
Because Разумеется functions as a parenthetical introductory word. In Russian, such words and phrases are set off by commas.
What is the function of the particle ли in нравится ли тебе?
ли turns the clause into an indirect (yes/no) question. It’s how Russian marks a subordinate question without using question intonation at the main-clause level.
Why is ли placed after нравится and before тебе?
In Russian indirect questions, ли typically follows the verb and precedes the subject or object. So you get нравится ли тебе rather than ли нравится тебе.
Why is тебе in the dative case?
The verb нравиться takes the experiencer (the person who likes something) in the dative case. The thing being liked is actually the grammatical subject in nominative.
Why is наш новый сад in the nominative case?
Because with нравиться the thing that causes the feeling is the subject of the verb. Subjects in Russian appear in the nominative case.
Why do we need не знаю before the subordinate clause?
не знаю (“I don’t know”) is the main clause verb of cognition. It introduces the indirect question that follows, so you say я не знаю, нравится ли тебе… rather than forming a direct question.
Could the word order in the subordinate clause be changed?
You could say нравится ли наш новый сад тебе, shifting тебе to the end for emphasis on “you,” but the neutral word order is нравится ли тебе наш новый сад. Placing ли anywhere else would sound odd.