не хочу ехать vs хочу поехать

[Anita hk]

я не хочу ехать с группой. я хочу поехать сам.
I understand perfectly well the use of perfective after хочу. But I don't understand why the verb becomes imperfective just because of the presence of не. Any explanation for this? And is this a rule (imperfective after не хочу and perfective after хочу)? Thanks.

 

[Boyar]

не хочу ехать с группой

"Не хочу" implies general attitude of unwillingness to be a member of an organized group. Not because of this particular group, but in general, the speaker prefers to make such trips alone. That's why the imperfective verb is used here.

Other examples:
Не хочу выставлять себя идиотом. ( I don't want to make a fool of myself)
Не хочу вас обижать. (I don't want to hurt your feelings)
Не хочу этого знать! (I don't want to know this!)

 

[Maroseika]

In the positive sentence you can very well say also:
Я хочу ехать сам.
Я хочу ехать один.
The difference as always is in the underlying semantic stress on result (поехать) or process (ехать).

But in the negative one Perfect is possible only in very specific conext referring to the result, like:
Я не хочу поехать с группой, а потом везде ходить в одиночку.

 

[Anita hk]

Thank you Boyar and Maroseika for the extra examples. It's good to know that ''не хочу + imperfective'' could be generalised.
Maroseika, your example of не хочу + perfective, I suppose it is due to it being in a sequence of actions - go with group has to finish before go alone, so the first go has to be in perfective?

 

[Boyar]

I suppose it is due to it being in a sequence of actions - go with group has to finish before go alone, so the first go has to be in perfective?

The complete formula should be:

"не хочу" + ["сначала"] + perfective + "а потом" + imperfective

Не хочу выставить себя идиотом, а потом доказывать, что это не так.
I don't want to play the fool and then have to prove I am not.

Не хочу сначала обидеть вас, а потом извиняться.
I don't want to hurt you first and then have to say sorry afterwards.

 

[Anita hk]

Thanks Boyar for the clarification. The verb after потом, I suppose it can be either perfective or imperfective depending on the situation?

 

[Boyar]

The verb after потом, I suppose it can be either perfective or imperfective depending on the situation?

That second verb (after "а потом") should always be imperfective. The idea is that first you perform an action and get some result (perfective) and then you find yourself in the undesirable state/process (imperfective); "не хочу" refers to this situation as a whole (you do not want the first action because you do not want the trouble later).

In the spoken language, however, the second verb (after "а потом") may be perfective. I would consider this as an improper usage of the verb forms.

 

[Maroseika]

Maroseika, your example of не хочу + perfective, I suppose it is due to it being in a sequence of actions - go with group has to finish before go alone, so the first go has to be in perfective?

Yes, going with group results inmy going alone.

 

[Anita hk]

Thanks for the confirmation, Boyar and Maroseika.

 

[Ruukr]

я не хочу ехать с группой. я хочу поехать сам.
I understand perfectly well the use of perfective after хочу. But I don't understand why the verb becomes imperfective just because of the presence of не. Any explanation for this? And is this a rule (imperfective after не хочу and perfective after хочу)? Thanks.

Such the interesting question!

The grammar is approximately as:
1) A perfect form (also called the perfective or aoristic form) is an aspect of a verb used to describe a complete, indivisible, complete act, regardless of whether it occurs in the future, present, or past.
2) An imperfect form is a grammatical category that expresses how the speaker interprets the passage of an action over time (for example, he sees the action as continued, momentary, permanent, and so on.)
( In many languages, the imperfect form does not have an independent expression: instead, certain species values are associated with different time forms.)

Ехать и идти - это глаголы движения.
Let's say that verbs of movements have two main rules:
1) the perfective verbs "пойти" and "поехать" have the meaning of start of movement.
2) the imperfective verbs "идти" and "ехать" have a more pronounced ability to express the nearest future tense:
"Завтра я иду на концерт". Tomorrow I go for concert.
(but perfective in russian - Завтра я пойду на концерт. Tomorrow I'll go for concert. )

Other words - the verbs of movements have nothing to do with -хочу или не хочу...

*****************************************************
But the rest (or better say - the most of) of pf or impf verbs in russian are depending of - хочу or - не хочу:
1) if the verbs after its are "objectively constructive" ((с)делать, открывать/ открыть, поддержать/ поддерживать, (по)смотреть и подобные.) - You have to choose IMPERFECTIVE verb infinitive :
не хочу делать, открывать, поддерживать, смотреть......
2) if the verbs after its are "objectively negative" (ронять/ уронить, падать/ упасть, забывать/ забыть, (за)болеть, (по)терять, заблудиться и подобные) - You have to choose PERFECTIVE verb infinitive:
не хочу уронить, упасть, забыть, заболеть, потерять, заблудиться и подобное. Оттенок значения - ‘опасение’: ‘боюсь’ уронить, упасть, заблудиться и подобное.

https://metodika-rki.livejournal.com/135964.html
инфинитив после "хотеть": употребление

 

[Anita hk]

Thank you Ruukr. I'm a beginner learning on my own and I'm trying to read the links you gave with google translate. Just want to confirm, NCB refers to imperfective and CB refers to perfective?

 

[Maroseika]

Yes, НСВ несовершенный вид, СВ - совершенный вид.