Breakdown of Иногда мне кажется, что язык такой большой, но это только усиливает мою мотивацию.
Questions & Answers about Иногда мне кажется, что язык такой большой, но это только усиливает мою мотивацию.
In Russian, feelings, impressions, and things that “seem” to you are very often expressed with the dative case and an impersonal verb:
- Мне кажется... – It seems to me... / I feel like...
- literally: to me it seems
You don’t say я кажусь here, because казаться in this meaning is usually impersonal: something seems to someone (dative), rather than I seem in English.
Я думаю means I think in a more active, rational way.
Мне кажется is softer and more subjective: it feels/seems to me.
Both can be translated “Sometimes I think …”, but they differ in tone:
Иногда мне кажется...
- Literally: Sometimes it seems to me...
- Sounds more emotional, subjective, like a feeling or impression.
Я иногда думаю...
- Literally: I sometimes think...
- Sounds more deliberate, like a conscious thought process.
In the sentence here, мне кажется emphasizes an inner feeling about the language, not a cold logical thought.
In Russian, что often introduces a subordinate clause (like that in English: I think that...). Standard rule:
- If a clause with a finite verb depends on что, put a comma before что.
So:
- Мне кажется, что язык такой большой...
- main clause: Мне кажется
- subordinate clause: (что) язык такой большой
That’s why the comma is required.
Russian often omits этот / тот and even the name of the language when it’s clear from context. If the conversation is about learning Russian, then:
- язык = the (Russian) language in this context.
Using русский язык is also correct, just more explicit.
Using этот язык (this language) is possible if you want to emphasize contrast (e.g., this particular language, not others), but it isn’t necessary here.
Literally, язык такой большой = the language is so big.
In context, большой here suggests:
- vast, huge, complex, with lots to learn.
English speakers would more naturally say:
- The language feels so huge / so vast / so big and complex.
So большой is literal, but the idea is the size and scale of what there is to learn (vocabulary, grammar, nuances), not physical size, of course.
Такой modifies an adjective and has a nuance of “so / such”:
- такой большой язык – such a big language / a language that is so big
- язык такой большой – the language is so big
Difference:
- очень большой – very big (neutral intensifier, just “very”)
- такой большой – so big (often more emotional, expressive)
In this sentence, такой большой sounds more subjective and emotional, which fits the context of personal feelings about learning.
Both are grammatically possible, but:
язык такой большой – “The language is so big.”
- This is a predicate structure: subject (язык) + predicate (такой большой).
- Neutral, typical, describes the language.
такой большой язык – “Such a big language.”
- Feels like focusing on “such a big language” as a noun phrase (like you’re pointing at it as an object).
Since we’re saying “it seems to me that the language is so big”, the predicative order язык такой большой is more natural.
Такой agrees in gender, number, and case with язык:
- язык is masculine singular, nominative → такой большой (masc. sg. nom.)
If the noun were different:
- feminine: такая большая грамматика
- neuter: такое большое слово
- plural: такие большие слова
So the pattern is:
такой / такая / такое / такие + adjective that also agrees with the noun.
Это is a pronoun referring to the whole previous idea:
- это = the fact that the language seems so big / vast / huge.
So:
- но это только усиливает мою мотивацию
≈ but that only increases my motivation
(that = the perceived “bigness” of the language).
Усиливать / усилить = to strengthen, to intensify, to reinforce.
- усиливает – 3rd person singular, present tense, imperfective:
- subject: это
- object: мою мотивацию (accusative)
So это только усиливает мою мотивацию =
that only strengthens/increases my motivation.
Imperfective present is used because this describes a general, repeated, typical effect, not a single completed action.
Усиливать is a transitive verb that takes a direct object in the accusative case:
- Nominative: моя мотивация – my motivation (as subject).
- Accusative: мою мотивацию – my motivation (as object).
Here, мотивацию is the thing being strengthened; it’s the object, so it must be in the accusative:
- это усиливает что? → мою мотивацию.
Word order with только changes the focus.
In the original sentence:
- это только усиливает мою мотивацию
- только limits the verb: it only has the effect of strengthening my motivation (and nothing negative).
If you say:
- это усиливает только мою мотивацию
- Now только limits the object: it strengthens only my motivation (and not, say, my anxiety, fear, etc.)
Both are grammatical, but the original focuses on the nature of the effect (it’s only positive), not contrast between different possible objects.
Yes, and it’s still correct, but the nuance changes:
- Иногда мне кажется... – clearly to me it seems; personal.
- Иногда кажется... – more impersonal/neutral: Sometimes it seems (one gets the impression) that...
The version with мне emphasizes your personal experience more strongly, which fits the context well.
You can move иногда a bit; Russian word order is flexible:
- Иногда мне кажется, что... (neutral, very natural)
- Мне иногда кажется, что... (also natural; light emphasis on to me)
- Мне кажется, иногда, что... (less common; commas add a pause and can sound a bit more “spoken” or emotional in writing)
The first two are the most typical. Here Иногда мне кажется is a very natural choice.