Breakdown of Почему ты не разговариваешь со мной?
не
not
я
I
ты
you (singular)
почему
why
разговаривать
to talk
с
with (also со)
Questions & Answers about Почему ты не разговариваешь со мной?
Why does this sentence use со instead of the usual word for 'with', с?
The preposition с changes to со before certain groups of consonants to make it easier to pronounce. Since the word for 'me' here (мной) starts with the two consonants 'мн', we say со мной. This is a fixed phrase you will use very often!
I know the word for 'me' is usually меня or мне. Why is it мной here?
Мной is the Instrumental case form of я (I). In Russian, when you do an action 'together with' someone, the preposition с or со requires the following noun or pronoun to take the Instrumental case.
What is the difference between разговаривать (used here) and the common verb говорить?
While both mean 'to talk' or 'to speak', разговаривать specifically means 'to converse' or 'to have a two-way conversation' with someone. Говорить is a more general word that can mean 'to say', 'to tell', or 'to speak a language'.
Can I put the negative word не somewhere else in the sentence?
In Russian, the negative particle не goes directly in front of the exact word you want to negate. Here, it is in front of the verb разговариваешь because the action of talking is what is not happening. If you moved it to say не со мной, the sentence would mean 'You are talking, but NOT with me'.
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