davno

[John Dingley]

Hi,

I wonder if native-speakers of Russian would like to comment on the
following.

"I have smoked for a long time." = "Ja davno kurju."

"I have not smoked for a long time." Is the Russian:

A: "Ja davno ne kurju."
or
B: "Ja davno ne kuril."

Wade, an excellent observer of such English-Russian niceties, says on
p.404 of his Grammar that only "Ja davno ne kuril" is possible.
However, I know native-speakers who prefer "Ja davno ne kurju."

Of course, "Ja davno ne kuril" could also mean in context "I had not
smoked for a long time", as Wade duly notes.


John Dingley

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http://whitnash.arts.yorku.ca/jding.html