Formal Definitions
When reading or writing formal, academic, or technical Russian, you will often encounter the phrase представлять собой. While it literally translates as "to represent by itself," it is the standard formal way to say "to be" or "to constitute."
The phrase uses the verb представлять (to represent) and the reflexive pronoun собой (in the Instrumental case). The concept being defined—the object of the sentence—must be in the Accusative case.
For masculine inanimate nouns like феномен (phenomenon), and feminine nouns ending in a soft sign (-ь) like совокупность (set), the Accusative case looks exactly like the Nominative (dictionary) form.
| This structure represents a complex set of elements. | Эта структура представляет собой сложную совокупность элементов. |
| The entire project represents a rare phenomenon. | Весь проект представляет собой редкий феномен. |
Mechanisms and Foundations
When defining organizations, mechanisms, and structures, remember that feminine nouns ending in -а will change their ending to -у in the Accusative case.
For example, words like основа (foundation) and система (system) become основу and систему.
| This mechanism represents the foundation of the system. | Этот механизм представляет собой основу системы. |
| Every organization must represent a whole system. | Каждая организация должна представлять собой целую систему. |
Abstract Characteristics
This structure is highly versatile and frequently appears alongside abstract concepts such as a problem's essence (сущность) or a characteristic property (свойство).
Just like masculine inanimate nouns, neuter nouns like свойство do not change their endings in the Accusative case.
| This phenomenon represents the essence of the problem. | Этот феномен представляет собой сущность проблемы. |
| The main characteristic represents an important property of the process. | Основная характеристика представляет собой важное свойство процесса. |
