Breakdown of Я часто общаюсь с Ивановыми.
я
I
часто
often
с
with (also со)
общаться
to communicate
Иванов
Ivanov
Questions & Answers about Я часто общаюсь с Ивановыми.
Why does the surname Иванов end in -ыми here?
It is in the instrumental case because of the preposition с (with). When Russian surnames ending in -ов, -ев, or -ин are pluralized to mean "the [Surname] family", they decline exactly like plural adjectives in all oblique cases (any case except the nominative). So, just like the instrumental plural adjective новыми (new), the surname becomes Ивановыми.
Does Ивановыми refer to a specific group of people, or just anyone named Ivanov?
The nominative plural form Ивановы usually refers to a specific family unit, such as a married couple or the whole household (like saying "the Ivanovs" in English), rather than just a group of random, unrelated people who happen to share the last name.
Does the verb общаюсь always require the preposition с?
Yes! The infinitive is общаться, which translates to "to communicate", "to chat", or "to socialize". In Russian, you always do this action with someone, so it is consistently paired with с plus the instrumental case.
Why does the verb form end in -сь instead of -ся?
Общаться is a reflexive verb. The rule for reflexive verbs is that if the conjugated form ends in a vowel, you use the shorter -сь ending. Since the "I" form without the reflexive particle would be общаю (ending in the vowel ю), we attach -сь to get я общаюсь.
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