Breakdown of Она часто притворяется жертвой, однако я ей не верю.
не
not
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
я
I
часто
often
ей
to her
верить
to believe
однако
however
притворяться
to pretend
жертва
victim
Questions & Answers about Она часто притворяется жертвой, однако я ей не верю.
Why is жертвой in the Instrumental case?
The verb притворяться (to pretend) requires the Instrumental case for the role or state someone is faking. In Russian, the Instrumental is frequently used with verbs like оказываться (to turn out to be) and оставаться (to remain) to show a temporary condition, role, or manifestation.
Why do we use the Dative case ей instead of the Accusative её after не верю?
The verb верить (to believe) and its negative form не верить always require the Dative case for the person being believed. Even though she is the direct object in English, in Russian you are conceptually directing your trust to her.
Why is the imperfective verb притворяется used instead of a perfective form?
The word часто (often) tells us this is a regular, repeating habit. Habitual actions always require the imperfective aspect, even if she completes the act of pretending every single time.
Is однако completely interchangeable with но in this sentence?
Yes. Однако (however) acts just like но (but) here to create a contrast. It is slightly more formal and puts a bit more weight on the contradiction, making it a great word to use at the B2 level to vary your vocabulary.
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