Questions & Answers about Мне вредно и неудобно сидеть без движения весь день.
Why is the word Мне in the dative case instead of using я?
Russian uses the dative to mark the experiencer in impersonal “state” sentences: it literally means “to me it is harmful/uncomfortable.” This is common with words like вредно, неудобно, нужно, можно, холодно, etc.
- Examples: Мне холодно. Ему трудно работать по ночам. Детям вредно есть много сладкого.
What kind of sentence is this—where is the subject?
It’s an impersonal sentence. There is no grammatical subject. The predicative words вредно and неудобно act as the predicate, the affected person is in the dative (мне), and the action is expressed by an infinitive phrase (сидеть без движения весь день).
Are вредно and неудобно adverbs or adjectives?
They are predicatives (often listed as “category of state” words). They look like adverbs ending in -о, but they function as the main predicate in impersonal sentences and don’t modify nouns. You can’t say “вредный стул” with this form; that would be вредный, a normal adjective. Other common predicatives: нужно, можно, трудно, легко, плохо, хорошо, больно.
Could I say Для меня вредно instead of Мне вредно?