у меня есть
u menya yest'
In Russian, "I have" is expressed as у меня есть (u menya yest').
The phrase у меня есть is used to indicate that you possess or own something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "at me there is".
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the negative "I don't have", replace the word есть with нет to form у меня нет.
How do you pronounce it?
u menya yest'
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using я имею to express possession. Although it is a direct translation of "I have", it is not the natural way to say it in Russian. Use у меня есть instead.
Did you know?
- The word есть has two completely different meanings: it can mean 'to exist' as in у меня есть or 'to eat' in a different grammatical context.
- While у меня есть is used for possession, the verb иметь (to have) is used in Russian to express abstract concepts or legal rights, such as 'to have the right' or 'to have an influence'.
- The word есть used in у меня есть descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ésti, making it a distant relative of the English word 'is'.
Examples in context
- Он у меня есть.I have it.This example shows how to use у меня есть to say that you have a specific item.Tatoeba #6885486 by marafon, translation #6885128 by tripbeetle
- У меня есть сын.I have a son.This example demonstrates using the phrase to express having a person in your family.Tatoeba #2501897 by paul_lingvo, translation #2358822 by CK
- У меня есть нож?Do I have a knife?This example illustrates how to turn the phrase into a question to ask if you possess something.Tatoeba #2678637 by odexed, translation #2657711 by CM
- У меня есть автомобиль.I have a car.
- У меня имеется важная информация.I have important information.
- 1298 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrey and Maria are talking about their pets.
- Мария MariaАндрей, у тебя есть собака?Andrey, u tebya yest' sobaka?Andrey, do you have a dog?
- Андрей AndreyНет, у меня нет собаки.Net, u menya net sobaki.No, I don't have a dog.
- Мария MariaА у меня есть кошка.A u menya yest' koshka.But I have a cat.
- Андрей AndreyЭто здорово, Мария!Eto zdorovo, Mariya!That is great, Maria!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries есть, меня, у, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
