# Нужно быть мной, чтобы...



## Parmezan_Olivkovich

Здравствуйте!

Как перевести на английский фразу: Это нужно быть мной чтобы понять это. ?
It is necessary to be me to understand it.
It is necessary to be myself to understand it.
Или как-то по другому?


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## Drink

"You would have to be me to understand it."
You can also use "need to" instead of "have to". You cannot use "myself" instead of "me".


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## Parmezan_Olivkovich

Thank you very much!


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## Drink

Oh and one more variation: You can replace "to understand" with "in order to understand".


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## Rosett

I'd say: "It has to be me in order to understand (the issue)."


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## Parmezan_Olivkovich

Much obliged for the help!


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## Vadim K

Another two options:

You need to walk a mile in my shoes to (help you) understand me.
You need to put you in my shoes to (help you) understand me.


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## Drink

Rosett said:


> I'd say: "It has to be me in order to understand (the issue)."



The problem here is with the pronoun "it", which cannot refer to a person. The phrase "It has to be me" does exist, but in this case "it" is a dummy pronoun and the meaning of the phrase is slightly different and does not fit in this context. If you want to know more, you should start a thread in the English-only forum, because I am finding this difficult to explain.

Note that the pronoun "you" that I used in "You would need to be me" is a generic "you" that does not necessarily refer to the person being spoken to. It can be replaced with the pronoun "one", but in this case I feel that it makes the sentence sound a bit awkward.



Vadim K said:


> Another two options:
> 
> You need to walk a mile in my shoes to (help you) understand me.
> You need to put yourself in my shoes to (help you) understand me.



Yes, but these ones are usually limited to more emotional or poetic contexts, unlike the original Russian sentence provided by the OP. Also, "to help you understand" does not really fit with this expression.


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## Vadim K

Drink said:


> Yes, but these ones are usually limited to more emotional or poetic contexts, unlike the original Russian sentence provided by the OP. Also, "to help you understand" does not really fit with this expression.



Ok, thank you for the corrections.


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## Rosett

Drink said:


> The problem here is with the pronoun "it", which cannot refer to a person. The phrase "It has to be me" does exist, but in this case "it" is a dummy pronoun and the meaning of the phrase is slightly different and does not fit in this context. If you want to know more, you should start a thread in the English-only forum, because I am finding this difficult to explain.
> 
> Note that the pronoun "you" that I used in "You would need to be me" is a generic "you" that does not necessarily refer to the person being spoken to. It can be replaced with the pronoun "one", but in this case I feel that it makes the sentence sound a bit awkward.


Acknowledged. The same problem with the pronoun exists in Russian in the OP. The Russian phrase sounds awkward to the same extent if compared to its English part with "it."
"Это нужно быть мной..." is grammatically faulty or at least borderline, albeit understood. However, if you say: "Тебе нужно быть мной...," then it's no longer generic "ты", like the one I just used in the beginning of the phrase.
Some Russian natives (and our moderators aren't excepted) ignore this fact

[...]
Mod note: Please discuss topics related to other threads in these threads, via Conversation or using the "report" link.


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## Drink

Rosett said:


> Acknowledged. The same problem with the pronoun exists in Russian in the OP. The Russian phrase sounds awkward to the same extent if compared to its English part with "it."
> "Это нужно быть мной..." is grammatically faulty or at least borderline, albeit understood. However, if you say: "Тебе нужно быть мной...," then it's no longer generic "ты", like the one I just used in the beginning of the phrase.
> Some Russian natives (and our moderators aren't excepted) ignore this fact



Even though it is grammatically faulty, like you said, many Russian native speakers do in fact use это that way. In English, however, the "it" in "It has to be me in order to understand (the issue)." is never used this way by native speakers, even colloquially, and so it is a big hint that the speaker is not native.


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## Rosett

Drink said:


> Even though it is grammatically faulty, like you said, many Russian native speakers do in fact use это that way. In English, however, the "it" in "It has to be me in order to understand (the issue)." is never used this way by native speakers, even colloquially, and so it is a big hint that the speaker is not native.


Few lyrics employ such a construction in the same sense, as well as written and spoken English:

*Atmosphere - A Tall Seven & Seven Lyrics | MetroLyrics*
www.metrolyrics.com/a-tall-seven-seven-lyrics-atmosphere.html
that you weaved through the field that you wandered / no longer am I shocked, by the things you do / I'm just confused as to why _*it has to be me to*_ confront you

*Necessary Or Not - Google Books Result*
isbn:1493199366 - Google Search
Nora Sojourner Chalfont - 2014 - ‎Fiction
It's my own problem and _*it has to be me to*_ do something. I'm overwhelmed and I'm guilty and scared, but I can't let that paralyze me. I haven't told anyone else ...

*Interview with Filmmaker Zachary Sluser on THE ...*
www.filmfestivals.com
1 day ago - We met soon after he was coming back from a book tour and I said, “this has to be a film and _*it has to be me to*_ direct it.” Luckily, he was opened ...


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## Drink

I figured out how to explain the difference: You can say "It has to be X" only if someone has to do something, and that someone has to be X. In "It has to be me in order to understand (the issue).", no one has to understand it, so it doesn't work.


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## Rosett

Drink said:


> I figured out how to explain the difference: You can say "It has to be X" only someone has to do something, and that someone has to be X. In "It has to be me in order to understand (the issue).", no one has to understand it, so it doesn't work.


OK then, could you please comment the following:
"Someone has to be me in order to understand (the issue)," or, "Некто должен быть мною, чтобы понять (это)".


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## Vadim K

Rosett said:


> OK then, could you please comment the following:
> "Someone has to be me in order to understand (the issue)," or, "Некто должен быть мною, чтобы понять (это)".



Если я правильно понял, то Drink имел ввиду, что фраза "It has to be *некто *to do нечто" должна переводиться как "*некто* должен делать нечто" или "это должен быть *некто*, кто сделает нечто".

Например, в Ваших примерах

I'm just confused as to why _*it has to be me to *_confront you
Я просто сбит с толку, почему я должен противостоять тебе (это должен быть я, кто противостоит тебе).

It's my own problem and _*it has to be me to*_ do something
Это моя проблема и и я должен что-то сделать. (это должен быть я, кто сделает что-то).

this has to be a film and _*it has to be me to*_ direct it
Это должен быть фильм и я буду его режиссером. (это должен быть я, кто будет его режиссером).

Поэтому фраза "It has to be me in order to understand (the issue) переводится как "Я должен понять проблему" или "Это должен быть я, кто поймет проблему".


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## Rosett

Vadim K said:


> "Это должен быть я, кто поймет проблему".


По-русски, вообще-то, лучше сказать: "Тем, кто поймёт проблему, должен быть я".
Ну, или как крайний вариант: "Этим должен быть я, кто поймёт проблему" (не очень, конечно).


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## Drink

Вадим меня правильно понял.



Rosett said:


> OK then, could you please comment the following:
> "Someone has to be me in order to understand (the issue)," or, "Некто должен быть мною, чтобы понять (это)".



This could work, if you use the conditional: Someone would have to be me in order to understand (the issue).
But it would work even better with "one" or "you" instead of "someone". As I mentioned, it still sounds a bit awkward with "one", and I don't really know why.


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