Breakdown of Не то чтобы малышке нравилось рано вставать, но с любимой пирамидкой и медвежонком она сразу улыбается.
с
with
и
and
рано
early
улыбаться
to smile
Questions & Answers about Не то чтобы малышке нравилось рано вставать, но с любимой пирамидкой и медвежонком она сразу улыбается.
What does не то чтобы mean here?
Не то чтобы is an idiomatic softening phrase. It means something like:
- it’s not that...
- not exactly that...
- it’s not really the case that...
So the speaker is not making a blunt statement like the little girl doesn’t like getting up early. Instead, they are qualifying it: it’s not exactly that she likes getting up early, but...
This construction often sets up a contrast with но:
Не то чтобы X, но Y = It’s not that X, but Y.
Why is малышке in the dative case?
Because the verb нравиться works differently from English to like.
In Russian, the person who experiences the liking is in the dative, and the thing or action that is pleasing is the grammatical subject.
So:
- малышке = to the little girl
- рано вставать = the thing that is pleasing / liked
A very literal English version would be:
Early getting up was pleasing to the little girl.
That is why it is малышке, not малышка.
Why is it нравилось and not нравилась or нравился?