"the same" more precisely

[adassovsky]

Emily Tall asked:

>I mean "the same" as an adjective, as in "the same suit," the same
>teacher, etc. I know all the possibilities, but am looking for a clear
>explanation for students. E. Tall

The enclitic "zhe" after the pronoun "tot" indicates identity for the
object the speaker is pointing to  with the same object existing elsewhere
in the context.  There must exist two different words refering to the
object (even though the second may be implicit).
If there is only one word refering to the object, "odin i tot zhe" must be used.

A has a good teacher, B has the same (teacher):"tot zhe"
A and B have the same teacher: "odin i tot zhe"

The addition of "samyj", with or without "zhe", indicates an emphasis
insisting on the identity (The very same).

Georges,
Tahiti.