Use of the particle же

Asked by John on October 18, 2019

Question

Hi,
When do you use же in the phrase то же самое to mean "the same"? Is it usual to drop the же when talking about masculine words or in conjunction with prepositions (тот самый момент, в том самом месте) or is it normal to keep it (тот же самый момент, в том же самом месте). Does же change the meaning?
Many thanks

Answer

Hi John,

The particle же emphasizes words in a sentence, so if you say в тот самый момент, it means "at the same moment", and if you say в тот же самый момент, it means "at the very same moment". The same happens to a place.
Also, in everyday speech we almost always use the particle. В том самом месте is more used in written speech and talking about the past:

Он был обнаружен в том самом месте, где удерживали детектива Арнотта.

It was recovered from the exact place where you were holding DS Arnott.

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