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Questions & Answers about Мы знакомы давно.
The lesson is about reciprocal verbs. Why aren't we using a reflexive verb here to say 'known each other'?
The reflexive verb знакомиться means the action of 'getting to know' or 'meeting' someone. But this sentence is about the state of already knowing someone. For that state, Russian uses the short adjective знакомы (acquainted) instead of a verb.
The translation says 'have known', so why is there no past tense verb in Russian?
In Russian, if a situation started in the past and is still true right now, you use the present tense. Because we still know each other, the present tense (with the hidden verb 'are') is used alongside давно (for a long time).
Why is the word знакомы used instead of the normal adjective form знакомые?
знакомы is a 'short form' adjective. In Russian, short forms are often used when the adjective is the main point or predicate of the sentence, translating literally here to 'We are acquainted.'
Where is the word for 'each other' in this sentence?
There isn't one! Saying Мы знакомы (We are acquainted) inherently describes a mutual relationship. English needs 'each other' to sound natural with the verb 'know', but Russian conveys the reciprocity just by using this plural adjective with Мы.