What is the meaning of "понаехать"?

Question

Wiktionary defines the verb "понаехать" as follows:

наехать, приехать во множестве, в большом числе

This is obviously a single meaning, not a list of different meanings, because different meanings are given in Wiktionary as a numerated list rather than a single line with commas. In Wiktionary, a single line with commas lists synonymous phrases or synonymous words to give an idea about the meaning.

Since "наехать" is given as a synonymous word, I also looked at its definition in Wiktionary:

1. столкнуться при езде, сбить при езде

2. проехать или встать колесами на что-либо

3. приехать внезапно, без предупреждения

4. пренебр. приехать в большом количестве, обычно вопреки желанию местных

5. жарг. начать оказывать давление, обычно с целью заставить выполнить какие-либо требования

6. спец. кино, видео при помощи трансфокатора приблизить объект съёмки; плавно перейти на более крупный план

Obviously, the meaning of "наехать" in the definition of "понаехать" is the fourth meaning above, because it coincides with what is written further in the definition of "понаехать."

Thus, Wiktionary basically defines "понаехать" as "to come in big numbers."

And here is the problem: Wiktionary shows the conjugation of "понаехать" as follows:

Я понае́ду понае́хал понае́хала

Ты понае́дешь понае́хал понае́хала

Он понае́дет понае́хал

Она понае́хала

Оно понае́хало

Мы понае́дем понае́хали

Вы понае́дете понае́хали

Они понае́дут понае́хали

Пр. действ. прош. понае́хавший

What I cannot understand is how a single person can come in big numbers. The very definition of "понаехать" as it stands in Wiktionary excludes using this verb in any single person form. From a logical standpoint, only plural forms of this verb are permissible, yet single person forms are provided in the conjugation table.

I did some research in Google and found that "понаехать" is quite often used in single person forms, for example:

Сейчас я понаехал в Великобританию на второй семестр и буду рассказывать и об этой стране тоже. (Source)

This led me to suspect that the definition of "понаехать" in Wiktionary is wrong. I am very puzzled. Overall, I'm confused by this crazy combination of two prefixes.

My question is this: What is the precise meaning of "понаехать," and who is wrong - the Wiktionary contributors who defined "понаехать" as "to come in big numbers" or people who use "понаехать" in singular person forms? I'm also curious as to how the meaning of "понаехать" is different from the fourth meaning of "наехать" if there is any difference.

Answer 1

Понаехать here is used in the sense 4 in Wiktionary: "to go in large numbers to a place where one isn't welcome".

It's normally used in reference to big cities like Moscow or St. Petersburg because that's where people go in large numbers and aren't welcomed by those who flocked to these cities in big numbers a year earlier.

Normally, it's used in impersonal constructs:

Во лимиты́ понаехало!

This refers to the Soviet policy of limiting the unrestricted growth of big cities by setting a quota on the number of new residents who could legally settle in the city and allocating this quota to the enterprises which needed the influx of the workforce the most.

This quota policy was called лимит прописки and people who matched this quota were called лимитчики or, colloquially, лимита́.

By definition, you alone cannot "flock" somewhere in large numbers — that's why it's not normally used with singular personal subjects.

So the usage of понаехал with a personal singular subject, or when talking about small groups of people, is sarcastic.

Я понаехал в Москву

literally means "I came to Moscow in large numbers, where I wasn't welcome." However, it's understood to actually just mean "I moved to Moscow" or some other place where lots of people are moving and where one is usually not especially welcome, and having to overcome obstacles along the way.

Answer 2

The colloquial пона- prefix, in general, describes something done to excess.

Понастроили домов! — Too many houses have been built!
Понапокупали прав! — Too many people have bribed their way into getting a driver's license without bothering to learn the road rules!
Понапривозили хлама! — Too much junk has been brought in!

Answer 3

To supplement the other answers:

One can use понаехать in the singular with collective nouns (собирательные существительные) which denote a group of people:

• Дереве́нский люд понаехал.
• Татарва́ понаехала.
• Бы́дло понаехало.

Answer 4

"Понаехать" is a verb used half in jest to describe the action of migrating somewhere where you're not welcome, as in the phrase "понаехали тут понимаешь!". It's usage is strictly colloquial, and it's normally used in the 3rd person plural, so it's "понаехали".

Using it as in "ну и я понаехал во Францию" is even more sarcastic and even more colloquial. It's almost like a joke.

Answer 5

I don't know why your dictionary doesn't include the following meaning for наехать: to flock (by means of transport) to a certain place. For instance: на ярмарку наехало много продавцов из окрестных деревень. Lots of vendors from the surrounding villages flocked to the fair.

Now, понаехать adds a sense of repetition to this. Here, an action that already expresses repetition gets an additional prefix that also expresses repetition. This can be understood to mean that different sets of people наехали. For instance, people of various ethnicities or occupations separately (each ethnicity/occupation independently of others) наехали (gathered themselves) in a certain place.

Answer 6

What I cannot understand is how a single person can come in big numbers.

Obliviously, as part of the "big numbers". I mean, "я понаехал" - is said about oneself in jest, a sarcastic phrase expressing inclusion in a large number of people who came to a city against the will of its residents. Ну или как-то так, да.

Answer 7

This breach of the "semantic contract" is intentional here. It makes for a humorous effect. You can also consider this usage an occasionalism. Consider the following elaboration with the same joking tone:

Сейчас я понаехал в Великобританию, понастроился тут, заземлился, так сказать.

One more example of unwelcome actions:

Многодетным понадавали кредитов, те рады стараться, понаделали детишек.

Answer 8

It's perfectly fine (though colloquial and humorous) to use "понаехать" with a singular subject, and it doesn't conflict with the sense "to go in large numbers to place where one isn't welcome". You're simply attributing that subject to one part of those "large numbers".

"я понаехал <куда-либо>" = "I showed up uninvited, just like pretty much everyone else".

Answer 9

According to the other responses from Russian natives, I'll offer the idiomatic equivalent(s) of this verb in English.

If I understood everything correctly, the form понаехал, when used with singular я, implies I joined the unwelcome masses and flocked to/converged on a certain place, but with a certain humor, since it's a singular form playing out in a plural concept: flocking somewhere en masse.

If you want to preserve the humor inherent in the Russian form, you can say I lemminged here(, much to the displeasure of the locals). Just like in Russian, lemming as a verb is commonly used with groups. Using it in the first person singular is "marked," but quite idiomatic, understandable and funny in the right context.

Answer 10

[...] who is wrong [...] or people who use "понаехать" in singular person forms?

Not worthy of a full answer, just adding one more valid case of the use of the singular person form of a verb:

"... тех, кто понаехал ..." = " ... those, who have flocked/crowded ... ".

Russian prefers a singular verb after "who", even though "who" may actually refer to multiple "those". The plural form of the verb could be used as well in certain cases, and is propably stylistically marked.

This isn't specific to "понаехать"; any other verb could be singular in a phrase like this.

Answer 11

Пона-ехали, пона-ехало, пона-ехал, пона-ехавший - the word used while speaking about the third person, when someone had come and causing worry/troubles feels. For example without rules of culture knowledges/notice/had come suddenly. Usually with sarcasm, or with annoying/provoked note.

• Ввечеру гости понаехали, и стал дом у купца полнехонек дорогих гостей, сродников, угодников, прихлебателей. Андреев Л.Н. - "dear guests will come" and following sarcastic expansion "угодники"-here in negative=toady, "прихлебатели"=freeloaders/parasites.
• — Право, — отвечала помещица, — мое такое неопытное вдовье дело! лучше ж я маненько повременю, авось понаедут купцы, да применюсь к ценам. Гоголь. - here without negative meaning, "probably, traders will come (by will), and I ll ask the (real) prices".
• И Хлобыстовские, и Ноздревы, и Кирсановы, и Лаврецкие, и Райские, все свои, родные, все в Москву понаехали, все живут и в баклуши бьют. Салтыков-Щедрин М. Е. - about migrants (names of the negative comedy images/persons) from the regions(means their behavior doesn't match to the capital culture/rules), here in negative close to "Я их не ждал, я не хотел/не позволял им приезжать".

I think the last example was used a pattern to the modern "понаехали" used to migrants-laborers from the middle Asia mostly, and context mostly about Moscow migrants, mostly about tadjik's workers that works on building, cleaning, street working -lowest jobs level without qualification. Also can used to refugees groups and other groups of "foes", but it should very carefully because it is close to nationalists moods.

Prefix пона- used for words when someone implement the case/act by self-willing without any letting from others/from I/from you. That is why the sense of "too much, too many" appearing.

• Понабрался - someone learned extremely and provoke harmful ideas/obscene words. Mother or father can tell to thier teen when he accidently used something that provoke - "где ты такого понабрался".
• Понастроили/понавезли/понакидали - all with irritation reaction about someone's done.

Пона- prefix possible to use with first person when mean talk about self in third one.

• Понапишу, понаделаю, понастрою - I will do something by self-will, with self-ironic, and it is when speaking about self/self done in third person. Понаеду - doesn't use usually but possible. I ll done that I ll feel.
• — Мы во власти тех законов, которые мы сами понаделали, чтобы защитить себя, и которые угнетают нас. Толстой. - we made laws by self-will.

Answer 12

As a native speaker, I can tell you for sure that "я понаехал" is broken language and I don't recommend that you say it. Some people might use it jokingly, but it just sounds highly uneducated. Mind you, even native speakers may not know how to speak properly.

The Wiktionary conjugations of "понаехать" for "я", "ты", "он", "она", "оно" are wrong. They are technically spelled correctly, but the verb "понаехать" can't be used with these pronouns.

The only proper use of this phrase is in the plural, e.g. "понаехали тут" or "народу понаехало". You always use it in the third person, even if you're indirectly attributing the meaning to someone in particular.

Keep in mind that "понаехали тут" is a vulgar phrase, and phrases like "народу понаехало" sound quite rural. If you use them in the company of people you're not acquainted with, it won't make a good first impression. It's much safer to use when you're trying to be funny in front of your friends, for example, and this kind of humor is to their liking.