Breakdown of Этот вопрос не касается моего авторитета.
не
not
мой
my (мой, моя, моё) / mine
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
вопрос
question
авторитет
authority
касаться
to concern (impf)
Questions & Answers about Этот вопрос не касается моего авторитета.
Why is моего авторитета in the genitive case?
The verb касаться (to concern / to touch upon) strictly requires its object to be in the genitive case. In Russian grammar, verbs that express reaching, touching, or achieving often require the genitive, rather than the accusative direct object you might expect from English.
Is моего авторитета in the genitive because of the negative не (Genitive of Negation)?
No, though that is a very logical guess! While negated verbs in Russian often force an otherwise accusative object into the genitive, the verb касаться takes the genitive all the time. It would still be моего авторитета even if the sentence were positive.
Касаться usually means "to touch". How does it mean "to concern" here?
Касаться literally means "to touch", but it is very frequently used in a figurative sense to mean "to touch upon", "to relate to", or "to concern". Because the subject вопрос (issue/question) is an abstract concept, it cannot physically touch anything, making the figurative meaning the only natural translation.
Could we use the perfective verb коснуться in this sentence?
Not for this meaning. When expressing that a rule, issue, or situation "concerns" or "relates to" something else as an ongoing state, you must use the imperfective касаться. The perfective коснуться is used for specific, completed actions, such as "The speaker touched upon this topic briefly" (Докладчик коротко коснулся этой темы).
Learn Этот вопрос не касается моего авторитета 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