Breakdown of Вроде бы этот размер мне подходит, но, если не он, то я возьму другой.
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Questions & Answers about Вроде бы этот размер мне подходит, но, если не он, то я возьму другой.
What does вроде бы mean here?
Вроде бы is a soft, cautious way to say it seems, apparently, or I think so, but I’m not completely sure.
So Вроде бы этот размер мне подходит means something like:
- It seems this size fits me
- I think this size works for me
- This size appears to be right
It adds uncertainty. The speaker is not saying This size definitely fits.
Why is it мне подходит and not something like я подхожу?
The verb подходить here means to suit, to fit, or to be right for someone. In Russian, the thing that fits is the grammatical subject, and the person it fits takes the dative case.
So:
- этот размер = this size
- мне = to me / for me
- подходит = fits / suits
Literally, the structure is close to:
- This size suits me
- This size is suitable for me
That is why Russian says этот размер мне подходит, not я подхожу.
Why is мне in the dative case?