Breakdown of Эта мысль не даёт мне спать.
не
not
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
мне
to me
спать
to sleep
давать
to give (imperfective)
мысль
thought
Questions & Answers about Эта мысль не даёт мне спать.
How can I tell that мысль is feminine?
The main clue in this sentence is the feminine word Эта (This) pointing to it. Мысль (thought) is a 3rd-declension noun, meaning it is a feminine word ending in a soft sign (-ь). While your current lesson focuses on irregular feminine nouns like мать and дочь, it is helpful to remember that regular 3rd-declension nouns like мысль share the same case endings, they just do not add the extra -ер- stem in the middle when they change cases.
Why is даёт (gives) used here instead of a word for "let" or "allow"?
In Russian, the verb давать (to give) is the standard, everyday way to say "to let" or "to allow" when followed by another verb. The phrase не даёт мне спать literally translates to "does not give me to sleep," which is the most natural way a Russian speaker would say "does not let me sleep."
Why is мне in the dative case?
It is the indirect object of the verb даёт. Because the Russian structure is literally "does not give to me to sleep," the person receiving the permission or restriction must take the dative case, just as they would if you were physically giving them an object.
Why use the imperfective verb даёт here instead of the perfective?
The imperfective даёт is used because this is an ongoing, continuous state. The thought is currently and continuously keeping the speaker awake. If you used the perfective form даст (не даст мне спать), it would change the meaning to the future tense, meaning "will not let me sleep" on a specific upcoming occasion.
Learn Эта мысль не даёт мне спать and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free