In English, we describe physical and emotional states using a subject and an adjective (e.g., "I am cold", "She is sad"). Russian approaches this differently. Instead of describing the person, Russian describes the state itself and points to the person experiencing it using the Dative case.
Think of it as saying "To me, it is cold" or "To her, it is sad."
Describing the General Environment
To describe these states, we use predicative adverbs, which usually end in -о (such as холодно, жарко, or тепло). When you use these adverbs on their own, without a person, they describe the general weather, environment, or atmosphere.
Expressing Personal Physical States
To talk about how a specific person is feeling, simply add the experiencer in the Dative case before the adverb.
Here is a reminder of the personal pronouns in the Dative case:
| Nominative | Dative | Meaning in Impersonal States |
|---|
| я | мне | I am (to me) |
| ты | тебе | you are (to you) |
| он / оно | ему | he is / it is (to him/it) |
| она | ей | she is (to her) |
| мы | нам | we are (to us) |
| вы | вам | you are (to you, pl/formal) |
| они | им | they are (to them) |
Now, let's see how these pronouns pair with adverbs to describe physical sensations:
Emotions and Reactions
The exact same structure is used to describe emotional states, like being sad (грустно), bored (скучно), or scared (страшно).
Just like pronouns, regular nouns and their modifiers can also be experiencers. Using the Dative endings you learned for indirect objects, you can talk about how a family member or friend is feeling:
Adding Action Verbs (Infinitives)
If you want to describe what activity is interesting, boring, or cozy to do, simply add an infinitive verb directly after the adverb.