# I would like to drink something



## Tate_Harmann

I'm studying Russian and using the Pimsleur Method for my listening and speaking study.  It's a bit annoying that I don't have a transcript because I think I am a better visual learner than enything else.  I'm only in lesson 6 but they are already addressing the conditional tense with sentences like the following:

Я хотел бы что-нибудь выпить.

In my verb book it says that this form of "to drink" is perfective.  I don't understand why this aspect is used in the conditional tense...it seems like an action that's not completed.  If that's always the rule though, I can pound it into my head and it's not a big deal.  What does bother me is that they use поесть for the "to eat" verb.  In the verb book it says that Съесть is the perfective form of "to eat".  Which is correct?  Could I also say:

Я хотел бы что-нибудь съесть.

Or doesn't that make sense?

Спасибо!


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## Maroseika

Both you phrases are quite correct.
As for the conditional, in Russian you may use both perfective and imperfective verb forms:
Я хотел бы быть с тобой (that time or always).
Я хотел бы побыть с тобой (some time).

Я хотел бы что-нибудь выпить - to drink something but as a whole.
Я хотел бы пить [так же, как ты] - I'd like to drink [like you]


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## Tate_Harmann

OK, that makes sense...it depends on the overall context of the thought.  "I would like to be with you always" is a definite desire and therefore perfective.  But, "Someday I would like to drink like you" may or may not happen so the imperfective is used.  Thanks for the help with that.  What about the different versions of the perfective verb "to eat"?  Which is more correct/common?

поесть or съесть

Thanks!


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## Ptak

Maroseika said:


> Я хотел бы пить [так же, как ты] - I'd like to drink [like you]


*Я хотел бы пить* sounds very strange to me.

We don't say "я *хотел бы* пить", "я *хотел бы* есть" in Russian. We simply say "я хочу есть", "я хочу пить".

By the way, Tate_Harmann, many Pimsleur's sentences sound quite unnatural, so I'd suggest you mostly to listen to the pronunciation, and remember that their sentences could be odd...


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## Tate_Harmann

Thanks Ptak!

I don't want to sound odd...would you suggest any other audio programs?


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## Ptak

Tate_Harmann said:


> would you suggest any other audio programs?


I actually think that all the educational stuff sounds more or less unnatural. I think the best method is watching movies having the original text (and the translation, too). But it's too hard for the majority of foreigners (I actually don't think it's sooo hard, I think they are simply too lazy).
(I'm afraid it was off topic, sorry )


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## Panda Nocta

>Я хотел бы что-нибудь выпить.

I'd say it like that: "_я бы что-нибудь выпил_" ("_я бы что-нибудь съел_")
Your version sounds very formal to me.


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## Tate_Harmann

> I'd say it like that: "_я бы что-нибудь выпил_" ("_я бы что-нибудь съел_")
> Your version sounds very formal to me.


Doesn't that mean I would drink something and not I would like something to drink?


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## Panda Nocta

Tate_Harmann said:


> Doesn't that mean I would drink something and not I would like something to drink?


I'm not sure whether "I would drink" can be a substitute for "I want to drink".
"я хочу пить", "я хочу выпить", "я бы что-нибудь выпил", "я хотел бы что-нибудь выпить" sound the same to me, like "I want to drink", "I would like to drink", "I am thirsty".


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## Tate_Harmann

Хорошо...спасибо!


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## Ptak

Panda Nocta said:


> "я хочу пить", "я хочу выпить", "я бы что-нибудь выпил", "я хотел бы что-нибудь выпить" sound the same to me, like "I want to drink", "I would like to drink", "I am thirsty".


Are you serious?
"*Я хочу пить*" and "*я хочу выпить*" sound the same to you?

"Я хочу пить" means simply "I am thirsty", whereas "я хочу _выпить_" has the only meaning: "I want to drink some spirit".


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## Panda Nocta

>Are you serious?
>"Я хочу пить" means simply "I am thirsty", whereas "я хочу выпить" has the only meaning: "I want to drink some spirit".

Yes, "выпить" is more common for "to drink alcohol", but not only ("_я бы выпил чашку чая_"). I, indeed, had been thinking whether it would be worth a note, but it looked pretty much out of the scope of this thread. If you refer to the complete phrase "я хочу выпить", then - yes - it is very unlikely to mean a nonalcoholic drink. In this case there's an additional peculiarity but not that important to turn my usual seriousness into joy.


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## Ptak

Panda Nocta said:


> Yes, "выпить" is more common for "to drink alcohol", but not only ("_я бы выпил чашку чая_").


Well, "*я бы выпил чашку чая*" is another sentence. You wrote simply "*я хочу выпить*" first, and I meant _that_ sentence in my post. Its meaning is unambiguous: "I want to drink some alcohol."


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## Tate_Harmann

If I'm not mistaken, I think the Pimsleur lesson is referring to an alcoholic drink because they also teach this sentence (does it sound odd too?):

Где бы вы хотеле выпить?

And I don't usually ask a woman where she would like to drink unless it's an adult beverage (beer, vodka, wine...whatever.)


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## Kolan

Tate_Harmann said:


> If I'm not mistaken, I think the Pimsleur lesson is referring to an alcoholic drink because they also teach this sentence (does it sound odd too?):
> 
> Где бы вы хотеле выпить?
> 
> And I don't usually ask a woman where she would like to drink unless it's an adult beverage (beer, vodka, wine...whatever.)


Basically, if without direct complement, "выпить" is used to describe casual drinking. (случайную выпивку).


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## Ptak

Tate_Harmann said:


> If I'm not mistaken, I think the Pimsleur lesson is referring to an alcoholic drink because they also teach this sentence (does it sound odd too?):
> 
> Где бы вы хотеле выпить?
> 
> And I don't usually ask a woman where she would like to drink unless it's an adult beverage (beer, vodka, wine...whatever.)


A very illustrative specimen of an idiotic Pimsleur's sentence.
(It's "где бы вы хотели...", by the way)
A natural way to ask this question is:
_Куда бы вы хотели пойти?_ (and still it's a bit formal).
So the normal question is, "_Where would you like to go_ [in order to drink there something with me]?"


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## Ptak

Tate_Harmann said:


> If I'm not mistaken, I think the Pimsleur lesson is referring to an alcoholic drink


By the way, that sentence ("Я хотел бы что-нибудь выпить") would sound a bit strange too, if a man and a woman meet (say, in some office, or in the street, or in a park), i.e. _they are not sitting at the table in a restaurant_, and the man suddenly says "Я хотел бы что-нибудь выпить" (Let's run to some joint, I can't bear! )
It would sound okay if a waiter is taking your order:
_- Что вы будете?
- Я хотел бы что-нибудь выпить._

If someone says that somewhere in a park, it sounds like he's an alcoholic.  It would sound especially strange, if a man would say it to a woman at their date.


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## Kolan

Tate_Harmann said:


> Doesn't that mean I would drink something and not I would like something to drink?


*To drink something* 

The ultimate and most comprehensive usage of *что/чего(-нибудь) (бы) выпить* you'll find here :

http://www.venedikterofeev.ru/ll-al-elbook-3036/

E.g. :

"Надо, чуть проснувшись, немедленно *чего-нибудь выпить*, даже нет, вру, не "*чего-нибудь*", а именно того самого, что ты пил вчера,... "

"- *Что *мне *выпить* ещё, чтобы и этого порыва - не угасить? *Что* мне *выпить *во имя Твоё?.."

"А теперь давайте подумаем с вами вместе: *что бы* мне сейчас *выпить*? Какую комбинацию я могу создать из этой вшивости, что осталась в моем чемоданчике? "Поцелуй тети Клавы"? "

"... Видишь ли Пётр, я никак не могу разрешить одну мысль. Так велика эта мысль.
- Какая же это мысль?
- А вот какая: *выпить *у меня *чего-нибудь* осталось?.."

"- ... был Гегель. Он говорил: "нет различий, кроме различия в степени между различными степенями и отсутствием различия". То есть, если перевести это на хороший язык: "кто же сейчас не пьёт?".. есть у нас *что-нибудь выпить*, Пётр?"

"Если под сердцем растет тревога, значит, её надо заглушить, а чтобы заглушить, надо выпить. А у нас есть *что-нибудь выпить*?"


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## Tate_Harmann

> It's "где бы вы хотели...", by the way


Oops...thanks!

Yeah, I don't want to sound like an alcoholic =/


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## Tate_Harmann

Ptak was saying that the sentences in Pimsleur sound quite unnatural...I found this site and was wondering what the native speakers think about it.  It obviously not the same amount of content found in Pimsleur but if it's natural sounding it wouldn't hurt to learn how to say the phrases correctly:

http://listen2russian.com/

Thanks


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