Preposition calques, reported speech, conditional 2 calque

A calque is a word-by-word translation that breaks in the target language. Russians at B1 produce calques in three predictable areas: prepositions after certain verbs, reported speech (because Russian doesn’t backshift), and Conditional 2 (because Russian uses бы on both sides).

These errors are stable — they survive years of immersion if you don’t catch them consciously. Let’s catch them.

Part 1 — Preposition calques

Russian and English don’t agree on which preposition (or no preposition) follows a given verb. When you translate the Russian preposition literally, you get an error.

depend on, not depend from

Russian: Это зависит от погоды (“It depends from the weather”).

• WRONG: It depends from the weather. → RIGHT: It depends on the weather.
• Success depends on hard work. Everything depends on the result.

consist of, not consist from

Russian: Команда состоит из 5 человек (“The team consists from 5 people”).

• WRONG: The team consists from 5 people. → RIGHT: The team consists of 5 people.
• The course consists of 12 modules. Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.

answer the question — no preposition

Russian: Ответь на вопрос (“Answer to the question”). Answer is transitive in English — no preposition.

• WRONG: Please answer to my question. → RIGHT: Please answer my question.
• He didn’t answer the email. Can you answer the phone?

discuss — no preposition

Russian: Давайте обсудим этот вопрос (“Let’s discuss about this question”) — but Russian actually doesn’t add o/об here, so this one is more of an over-correction. Many Russians overuse about by analogy with talk about / speak about.

• WRONG: Let’s discuss about the project.

• RIGHT: Let’s discuss the project.

• WHY: Discuss is transitive. Talk about and speak about take about; discuss doesn’t.

• We discussed the budget yesterday.

• They are discussing the new policy.

Compare:

• Let’s talk about the project. (with about)
• Let’s discuss the project. (no about)

explain to me, not explain me

Russian: Объясни мне (“Explain me”).

• WRONG: Explain me this rule.
• RIGHT: Explain this rule to me. (or Explain to me what this means.)
• WHY: In English, explain takes the structure explain [thing] to [person]. The to is mandatory.

Same pattern with describe, suggest, mention, recommend:

• Describe the situation to me. (NOT describe me the situation)
• He recommended the book to me. (NOT he recommended me the book — ungrammatical in both AmE and BrE)
• She mentioned the problem to her boss.
• Suggest a solution to him.

But: give, send, tell, show, offer, lend, buy DO allow the double-object form:

• Give me the book. / Tell me the truth. / Show me your work. — all fine.

marry — no preposition

Russian: Она вышла замуж за Ивана (“She married with/to Ivan”).

• WRONG: She married with Ivan. / She married to Ivan.
• RIGHT: She married Ivan.
• WHY: Marry is transitive in English.

But: be married TO (the state, not the action) — She has been married to Ivan for 10 years.

agree with someone / agree on something

Russian: Я согласен с тобой (“I agree with you”) — this one is right! But agree on is a different structure.

• I agree with you. (= I share your opinion)
• We agreed on a price. (= we reached agreement about the price)
• I agree to your proposal. (= I accept it)

Mixing these is common. Use:

• agree WITH a person or opinion
• agree ON a topic / decision
• agree TO a proposal / request

listen TO, look AT, wait FOR — Russian drops the preposition

Russian: Я слушаю музыку, посмотри на картинку, я жду тебя. Russians often drop the English preposition or use the wrong one.

• WRONG: I listen music every day. → RIGHT: I listen to music every day.
• WRONG: Look this picture. → RIGHT: Look at this picture.
• WRONG: I wait you at 5. → RIGHT: I’ll wait for you at 5.

Compare look vs see vs watch: look at = direct your eyes; see = perceive (no prep.); watch = observe over time (no prep.).

ask someone, not ask FROM someone

Russian: Спроси у него (“Ask from him”).

• WRONG: I asked from him a question. → RIGHT: I asked him a question.
• Ask is direct: ask [person] [question]. No from.

But: ask FOR something (= request) — He asked for help. I asked for the bill.

Quick reference table

Part 2 — Reported speech without backshift

When you report what someone said in the past, English shifts the tense one step backward. Russian doesn’t. Russian keeps the tense of the original utterance.

The mechanism

Direct: He said: “I am tired.” Reported (English): He said he WAS tired. (present → past — backshift) Reported (Russian): Он сказал, что он устал (literally “He said that he is tired”) — Russian keeps present tense.

When Russians translate, they preserve the Russian tense and produce ungrammatical English.

WRONG → RIGHT

• WRONG: He said he is tired. → RIGHT: He said he was tired.
• WRONG: She told me she works there. → RIGHT: She told me she worked there.
• WRONG: I asked him what is the time. → RIGHT: I asked him what the time was. (word order changes too — see below)
• WRONG: They said they will come tomorrow. → RIGHT: They said they would come the next day.

The full backshift table

Word order changes in reported questions

In direct questions: do/does + subject + verb. In reported questions: SUBJECT + VERB (statement order). No do/does.

• Direct: “Where do you live?” he asked.

• Reported: He asked where I lived. (NOT where did I live)

• Direct: “What is your name?” she asked.

• Reported: She asked what my name was. (NOT what was my name)

• Direct: “Do you want coffee?” he asked.

• Reported: He asked if I wanted coffee. (yes/no questions need if or whether)

When NOT to backshift — universal truths and still-true facts

If the statement is still true, you don’t have to backshift. This is a stylistic choice in modern English.

• He said the earth IS round. (stays present — universal truth)
• She said she WORKS in finance. (still true — backshift optional in modern usage)

But the safer textbook rule for B1 is: always backshift unless you are certain the fact is timeless.

Time and place markers shift too

• Direct: “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
• Reported: He said he would call me the next day.

Part 3 — The Conditional 2 calque

Russian: Если бы я знал, я бы сказал (literally “If I would know, I would tell”). The Russian бы particle appears on both verbs — in the if-clause AND the result-clause.

When Russians translate, they put would in both clauses. WRONG.

The rule

In English Conditional 2 (and Conditional 3), there is no would in the if-clause. The if-clause uses Past Simple (Cond 2) or Past Perfect (Cond 3).

Conditional 2 — present unreal

Structure: If + Past Simple, … would + base verb.

• WRONG: If I would know, I would tell you.

• RIGHT: If I knew, I would tell you.

• WRONG: If he would have time, he would help.

• RIGHT: If he had time, he would help.

• WRONG: If she would be here, she would explain.

• RIGHT: If she were here, she would explain. (note: were for all persons in formal Cond 2)

Conditional 3 — past unreal

Structure: If + Past Perfect, … would have + past participle.

• WRONG: If I would have known, I would have told you.

• RIGHT: If I had known, I would have told you.

• WRONG: If he would have come earlier, he would have caught the train.

• RIGHT: If he had come earlier, he would have caught the train.

Mnemonic

Will and would do not enter if-clauses. (One exception, advanced: polite request — If you would wait a moment, I’ll be right with you. — but this is a different structure.)

Comparison drill

Diagnostic exercise

Ten sentences. Identify and fix the error.

1. I depend from my parents financially.
2. He explained me the problem.
3. She married with a doctor.
4. Listen this song!
5. I asked him what was his name.
6. He said he is busy.
7. If I would have money, I would travel.
8. We discussed about the budget.
9. I am afraid from spiders.
10. If he would have studied, he would have passed.

Answers:

1. I depend on my parents financially.
2. He explained the problem to me.
3. She married a doctor. (no preposition)
4. Listen to this song!
5. I asked him what his name was. (statement order in reported question)
6. He said he was busy. (backshift)
7. If I had money, I would travel. (no would in if-clause)
8. We discussed the budget. (no about)
9. I am afraid of spiders.
10. If he had studied, he would have passed. (no would have in if-clause)

Drill — fix-it patterns

Habit 1: The “preposition flashcard”

Make a list of the 10 most common preposition calques you produce. Quiz yourself daily for two weeks. Eventually the right preposition becomes automatic and the Russian one starts feeling wrong — that’s the goal.

Habit 2: The “reported-speech rewrite”

Take any direct quote you hear or read today, and rewrite it as reported speech with full backshift. Do 5 a day for a week. Your brain learns to backshift on autopilot.

Habit 3: The “if-clause filter”

Whenever you start a conditional sentence, pause at the word if. The next thing CANNOT be would. If you catch yourself about to say if I would, say if I + past tense instead. Two weeks of conscious filtering rewires the reflex.

Common Russian-speaker mistakes (recap)

1. Preposition calques — depend from, consist from, listen music, look the picture, wait you, explain me, marry with, discuss about. Memorize the English versions.
2. Reported speech without backshift — He said he is tired → He said he was tired.
3. Would in the if-clause of Conditional 2/3 — the single most stubborn Russian error. If I knew, NOT if I would know.
4. Reported question with question word order — I asked what was his name → I asked what his name was. Statement order in reported questions.

Summary

• Prepositions after verbs are fixed by the English verb, not by Russian word-by-word translation.
• Reported speech requires backshift — present → past, will → would, can → could, etc.
• Reported questions use statement word order (no do/does, no inversion).
• Conditional 2 and 3 NEVER put would in the if-clause. Use Past Simple (Cond 2) or Past Perfect (Cond 3).
• Memorize the preposition table; it pays off for life.

Next lesson: Advanced false friends — words that look familiar but mean something else.