Forming Words with Two Prefixes - по + приставка

Question

Verb prefixes are a complex topic in the Russian language, something like phrasal verbs for those learning English. I have encountered a number of words recently with two prefixes and I was wondering what native speakers have to say about their formation. I heard the first example from the director of the кафедра at the university I work at. She was after someone for their paperwork and she said something like:

Я немножко понаеду на него.

Recently, reading through some of Bulat Okudzhava's poems/songs, I encountered the following verse in the poem Ах, Надя, Наденька

Ах, Надя, брось коней кнутом нащелкивать
попридержи-ка их, поговорим.

These two examples struck me for their interesting combination of two prefixes. At least in the Okudzhava verse, it seems like the combination of по and при is even somewhat redundant. I was hoping native speakers could comment on this observation, is it generally acceptable to attach по to prefixed verbs? If I had to attempt such a formation I might try the following:

Понакоплю денег, поеду в Китай.

Lastly, out of pure curiosity, are there any other prefixes which might work like this?

Answer 1

The first sentence doesn't sound Russian. The verb понаехать is about people (not a single person) who've come (приехали) to some place (e. g. to dwell there) in big numbers (наехали) while doing that gradually (понаехали - постепенно наехали в большом количестве). That sentence would only make sense with the single-prefixed verb наеду (на него) which informally (наехать на кого-л.) can have the meaning 'to confront someone (with something)'.

In the second example, the verb usage is correct. The при- prefix adds something like 'slightly' and the по- prefix adds something like 'for a while' to the sense of the verb (у)держать. However, it doesn't mean that those prefixes work exactly so or that you can use them to invent new verbs (it's not a good idea).

The third example sounds wrong: the verb should be поднакоплю. The subtle meaning of the под- prefix (literally, 'under') here can be thought of as reaching some amount of money while staying below/under the desired numbers in the process of reaching it.

Answer 2

In principle it can be added on top of any prefixed verb. But in practice it seems some specific prefixes are more likely to be augmented with it.

On the one hand it appears to be a feature of vernacular and language of commoners but on the other it's not to my observation very current in speech of urban residents. I guess it's a phenomenon which gradually obsolesces and nowadays could paradoxically enough be a marker of an educated person who's aware of semantic nuances such addition imparts a verb. Just like the case is with the almost completely obsolete verb model of habitual action сиживать, хаживать, едать, пивать, видывать, говаривать etc. or another soon-to-be obsolete model of intermittent/small scale action поделывать, пописывать, послушивать, посматривать, почитывать etc.

In Okudzhava's verse it's not redundant because it either imparts a connotation of the adverb 'a little' or, along with the particle -ка, softens the imperative придержи.

Your attempt is totally legit. I believe you understand the nuance in the meaning of the new verb.

Despite the answers of other contributors понакопить is attested in literature even though in written sources it generally occurs very seldom.

Ф.Ф. Вигель «Записки» (1830 г.) том 2

Когда он понакопил несколько денег, то взялся за ум, то есть принялся за торговлю.

В.Т. Нарежный «Российский Жилблаз, или Похождения князя Гаврилы Симоновича Чистякова» (1813 г.)

Проживши в Туле более десяти лет, я понакопил кое-чего, и решился провести остаток жизни с тобою и твоею дочерью.

Ник Перумов, Дарья Зарубина «Верное слово» (2016 г.)

За тот фронтовой должок Игорь так и не расчитался, - их развела война, его на Первый Украинский, её на Первый Белорусский - зато понакопил новых во время учёбы.

In quotations 2 and 3 понакопил cannot be replaced with поднакопил since in them the connotation of the verb in question is different.

поднакопить = to save a little, понакопить = to save little by little, in increments over time

Answer 3

"...is it generally acceptable to attach по to prefixed verbs?.."

The answer is it depends. попридержи sounds very natural to me (at least in the context of the cited poem). Here are more examples:

попридержи язык (hold your tongue), попридержи лошадей (hold your horses)

You can say придержи язык and придержи лошадей to mean the same thing. По makes it all sound more urgent, imperative, emphatic.

По is not a "universal" prefix. There is no such thing, I think. For example, I wouldn't say Понакоплю денег, поеду в Китай. I'd rather say поднакоплю денег, поеду в Китай.

"Я немножко понаеду на него." To be honest, I don't quite understand what she meant by this. There is the slang phrase наезжать на кого-то, but понаезжать на кого-то sounds awkward to me. But не наезжай на меня (lighten up on me, give me a break) is OK.

"...are there any other prefixes which might work like this?"

Here are a few examples:

• недоперепил (crazy, I know)

• что-то я сегодня наперепроверялся сочинений!

If you need help with any of the examples above, please let me know.

Answer 4

Я немножко понаеду на него - people don't talk like that.

"Ах, Надя, брось коней кнутом нащелкивать попридержи-ка их, поговорим". Like a: - let's just slow down on the honesty part - ... to slow down a bit (not to stop completely) По - "on the honesty part" or "a bit"

"Понакоплю денег, поеду в Китай" - people don't talk like that. Maybe "ПоДнакоплю денег, поеду в Китай" - to save a little.