# Ведь



## Melikhovo

Privet!

Would someone be able to provide me with some different contexts in which this interjection is used?
I understand it has a variety of different meanings, I'm just not sure how or when to properly use it. Here are some of my findings but some usefull suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

*Ведь уже́ по́здно — It’s late, isn’t it?

Ведь он знато́к — After all, he’s an expert.

Ведь я вам говори́л! — But I told you!

ты ведь ее знаешь- You know her, right?*


Spasibo!


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## toutey

In my experience, it's used whenever you're sure of something, and you expect people to agree with you.  I think its most common use is as a conjunction.  For example:

Думаю, мне пора [идти], ведь уже поздно.
(I think it's time for me to go as it's getting kind of late.)

It can also be used as an adverb.  For instance:

"Не кипятись," сказала Мако, "Она скоро придёт. Ты ведь ее знаешь, она постоянно опаздывает." 
("Hey, no need to get angry," said Mako.  "She'll come soon enough.  You know her, she's always late.")

Here's another example from a previous thread (http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2673306&p=13489698#post13489698):

Вы только посмотрите во что он одет, вот ведь чучело.
(Just look at what he's wearing.  He looks like a scarecrow [= he looks ridiculous].)

Hope this helps.


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## learnerr

toutey said:


> In my experience, it's used whenever you're sure of something, and you expect people to agree with you.


Very often, true. Some off-examples:
- "ведь" used in some questions: "ведь уже поздно?" ("do you think it is late now?");
- phrases like "а я ведь думал, что ты не придёшь" (this "ведь" serves to convey the sense of excuse);
- and so on, e.g. "ведь ты не знаешь, как это было" (may be used to contradict the other person who thinks he knows what happened).

Maybe I can generalise your observation by saying that it is used when you rely on truth of something, no matter whether you're exactly sure of that or not, or whether you expect people to agree. Then you use that truth to build some other thought.


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## willem81

The usage of _ведь_ and also of _же_ is very similar to the usage of particle _denn (_and in some cases_ doch)_ in German. Modern English has none of such particles and hence has to impart their sense by other means. I believe the Old English had that particle in the same measure as German.


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## learnerr

In fact, I think, it is "же" that has the meaning described by toutey (that of assuming the agreement). Needless to say the two particles feel very differently, even if not rarely they are used in the same contexts.


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## willem81

In some cases ведь functions as a particle: Я ведь говорил! = Я же говорил!
But the difference is that _ведь_ is a junction, but _же_ is not: Пойдём домой, ведь уже поздно.


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## learnerr

willem81 said:


> In some cases ведь functions as a particle:


Yes, it is this case where they are felt differently ("я ведь думал, что ты не придёшь" ≠ "я же думал, что ты не придёшь").


> But the difference is that _ведь_ is a junction, but _же_ is not: Пойдём домой, ведь уже поздно.


That's not the main thing of their difference, I think ("пойдём домой, поздно же"). There are differences in the preferred word orders, and there is a difference in meaning (which sometimes becomes hidden, yet not non-existent, because of the context), that's all.


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## amdude

willem81 said:


> The usage of _ведь_ and also of _же_ is very similar to the usage of particle _denn (_and in some cases_ doch)_ in German. Modern English has none of such particles and hence has to impart their sense by other means. I believe the Old English had that particle in the same measure as German.



Hi 
Sure, English has has a word to show this emphasis: "do", i.e. he does look like a scarecrow.

and ведь is like indeed (?)


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## willem81

Hi.
Ведь is not precisely _indeed_, which translates into Russian straightforward as 'действительно' and moreover _ведь_ can function as a conjunction between two clauses. It denotes something like however/ though.
In some cases the German doch can be interpreted as the Russian ведь:
Du wolltest doch kommen.
Ты хотел ведь прийти.  (You wanted to come though / however)

The correlation between же and the German denn is obvious enough, for example:
Wo ist denn das Hotel?
Где      же   гостиница?

Can one express the same things in English? Maybe же here must be translated as though: Where is the hotel though?


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## amdude

willem81 said:


> Hi.
> Ведь is not precisely _indeed_, which translates into Russian straightforward as 'действительно' and moreover _ведь_ can function as a conjunction between two clauses. It denotes something like however/ though.
> In some cases the German doch can be interpreted as the Russian ведь:
> Du wolltest doch kommen.
> Ты хотел ведь прийти.  (You wanted to come though / however)
> 
> The correlation between же and the German denn is obvious enough, for example:
> Wo ist denn das Hotel?
> Где      же   гостиница?
> 
> Can one express the same things in English? Maybe же here must be translated as though: Where is the hotel though?



A lot of times indeed works quite well, like in your example:  You indeed wanted to come.  действительно is often "really."  I don't know German at all.  Где      же   гостиница , I would say , "But where is the hotel?" (if the person hadn't mentioned it prior) or "Where on earth/the heck is the hotel?" (if I'm getting annoyed)


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## Dan2

(...)


And rusita, while fixing capitalization and punctuation, why not also put in between-word spaces in the OP (I see "ужепоздно", etc.; if I'm the only one seeing it that way, sorry).

And back on topic: willem81: Do you ever hear ведь or же as similar to the German particle "ja"?


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## willem81

Dan2, yes, in many cases 'ja' behaves very similarly to _ведь_ or _же_. For example, the phrase: "Es ist ja eine Schande!" ("It's a shame!") one could interpret as either "Это же позор!" or "Ведь это позор!".


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## Dan2

(...)


----
Thanks willem81 re "ja".


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## learnerr

willem81 said:


> Где      же   гостиница?


Note also that "где ведь гостиница" is impossible for the reasons already stated. (Here the speaker does not rely on any truth for anything of his own). This is a more generic usage of "же".


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## Matt Read

Help! I've been set a translation at university, and there is a sentence I'm finding hard to translate into good English.

"Ведь, такая эмиграция носит безвозратный характер и наносит стране огромный ущерб."

I've written "After all, this type of emigration is of permanent character, and damages the country enormously."


Can anyone suggest an improvement???

Thanks,

Matt


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## Rosett

Matt Read said:


> "Ведь, такая эмиграция носит безвозратный характер и наносит стране огромный ущерб."
> 
> I've written "After all, this type of emigration is of permanent character, and damages the country enormously."


We don't put comma after "ведь" normally.
"After all" fits very well.


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## Matt Read

Rosett said:


> We don't put comma after "ведь" normally.
> "After all" fits very well.



Yes, I made a typo!!

Спасибо большое за помощь!


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