Breakdown of Я рад, что мы гуляем в парке вместо того чтобы весь день смотреть сериалы.
я
I
парк
the park
в
in
день
the day
Questions & Answers about Я рад, что мы гуляем в парке вместо того чтобы весь день смотреть сериалы.
Why is there no word for am in Я рад? In English we say I am glad, but in Russian it is just Я рад.
In Russian, the verb быть (to be) is normally omitted in the present tense.
- Я рад literally is I glad.
- The am is understood from context and from the structure, so Russians don’t say it in the present.
You would only see a form of быть in:
- past: Я был рад – I was glad
- future: Я буду рад – I will be glad
What exactly does рад mean, and how is it different from счастлив?
Both рад and счастлив can be translated as happy, but they’re used a bit differently:
- рад is closer to glad / pleased about a specific thing or situation.
- Я рад, что мы гуляем... – I’m glad that we’re walking…
- счастлив is stronger and more general, like happy in the sense of deep happiness or life satisfaction.
- Я счастлив – I’m (truly) happy.
In this sentence, рад is more natural because it’s about being pleased with this particular choice (walking instead of watching series all day).