Questions tagged [значения]
Questions about the meaning of words or phrases that you couldn't find in a dictionary.
475
questions
1
vote
2answers
107 views
What does “тоже мне” mean? [closed]
What is the best way to translate these?
Тоже мне!
Тоже мне герой.
Тоже мне новость.
-
0
votes
2answers
204 views
Does the famous Russian translation of Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll imply using drugs?
I recently came across the famous Soviet-era translation by Dina Orlovskaya of Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll, which is a part of a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and that translation ...
5
votes
2answers
224 views
What does this sentence mean? Есть пить? Пить есть, Есть нет
Есть пить - To eat a drink? Есть and пить are both verbs here so I'm not sure how that works
Пить есть - I think answers this question by saying yes, I have a drink. But again I don't get why it's a ...
6
votes
2answers
293 views
What's wrong with “я подсела к стене”?
I wrote in an essay,
В зале стоял длинный стол с закусками, один из концов которого упирался в стену. Мы подошли к столу и стали за него садиться. Я подсела к стене.
My teacher marked the last ...
4
votes
3answers
263 views
Is there a positive Russian word for a whistleblower?
Let's suppose some students gather every evening in a student dormitory and make loud noise till late night by playing guitar, talking, singing, laughing, etc., and a female student from the same ...
2
votes
2answers
191 views
What is the difference between “расскажу о тебе” and “расскажу про тебя”?
(1) Я ему расскажу о тебе.
(2) Я ему расскажу про тебя.
I know that each of these sentences roughly translates as I will tell him about you, but what is the difference? Do the connotations or ...
1
vote
3answers
349 views
What is the meaning of: “Войну ждали. Но она пришла неожиданно.”?
I recently read an article in Russian written by a doctor of art science for the journal Живая история, and that article is about the Soviet-German war and starts with the following two sentences:
...
4
votes
1answer
879 views
Why do Russians refer to flatterers as “downlickers” (подлизы)?
Usually used to refer to a flatterer, the Russian word подлиза literally means a downlicker: the prefix под- means down, below, beneath, or under, and the root -лиз- is common to Russian words about ...
1
vote
3answers
245 views
Difference between “принести” and “привести”?
Adding the prefix при to вести (lead) and нести (carry / bring) seems to make the meanings basically the same. Is there a way to describe the difference between привести and принести?
For example:
...
4
votes
3answers
325 views
What does “я сейчас в неадеквате” mean?
I just sent a message to a language exchange partner and instantly received the following response:
давай завтра, я сейчас в неадеквате
What does this expression mean? Has he tied one on?
11
votes
1answer
1k views
What is the difference between “ещё” and “больше”?
I know they both mean 'more' ? But there useage seems to differ, is there a rule of thumb?
0
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3answers
243 views
«Женское счастье», «мужское счастье»: как различаются эти выражения, какова их этимология?
Что конкретно имеется в виду, когда говорят о "женском счастье", откуда это выражение пошло, и почему гораздо реже встречается "мужское счастье"? (речь здесь идет не об одноименных цветах)
Пример:
...
1
vote
0answers
208 views
Meaning and usage of the Russian proverbs that seemingly discourage proactiveness [closed]
The Russian language abounds in wise proverbs, but I am very much confused by some of them, specifically by those that appear to discourage proactiveness. I am at a loss as to how such a good thing as ...
4
votes
5answers
399 views
What are the meaning and etymology of “выпендриваться”?
I am very much puzzled by the frequently used Russian verb выпендриваться and cannot understand it. Dictionaries and Reverso Context give a variety of translations, but I feel that none of them hits ...
8
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8answers
442 views
What does the idiom “что уж там” mean?
I am very much puzzled by the idiom "что уж там" and its sister "чего уж там". Let me show you a few sentences:
(1) Давайте везде курить, что уж там, детям в лицо: депутат Госдумы (Source)
(2)...
4
votes
1answer
181 views
Что такое «купаленные донья»?
В стихотворении Пастернака «Определение поэзии» есть строфа:
Всё, что ночи так важно сыскать
На глубоких купаленных доньях,
И звезду донести до садка
На трепещущих мокрых ладонях.
Я никак не могу ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
How is погода (weather) a count noun?
Wiktionary says that the word погода (weather) has a plural form: погоды.
I see in Google that although the word is usually used in the singular form, the plural form is used either. For example, ...
2
votes
3answers
227 views
“Лицам старше 16 лет и более 70 кг” - тут логическое “и” или “или”?
На детской площадке запрещается:
пользоваться детским оборудованием лицам старше 16 лет и более 70 кг
(Source)
May I use the playground equipment if the above rule is to be ...
3
votes
3answers
414 views
Who is Goddess Khalyava?
I just read an article about Russian students in Russian newspaper Комсомольская правда and saw the following:
Каждый студент хоть раз в своей жизни слышал это заветное слово - Халява. Что же оно ...
-1
votes
1answer
118 views
Different Words in Russian, Same Meaning in English! [closed]
I practice Russian in Duolingo app and there are a lot of words that have same meaning in English. For example:
мои - мой - моя - мое
это - этот - эта
как - что
13
votes
2answers
496 views
What is the meaning of: “- Отнеси кота на веранду. - Да уж лежит там.”
In a recent test I had to translate the following:
-- Отнеси кота на веранду.
-- Да уж лежит там.
My translation was:
"Bring the cat to the verandah."
"It is already lying there."
My ...
7
votes
4answers
446 views
Why do Russians refer to money as grannies (бабки)?
I read the following in a poem published in 1769:
Два въ бабки мальчика играли:
За бабки заорали:
Къ войнѣ за бабки собрались,
И подрались.
These lines initially made no sense ...
1
vote
0answers
122 views
What does “сказ” mean? [closed]
Perhaps it is actually 'CKAЭ' rather than 'CKA3'... but either way I can't find an answer through Google.
I'm referring to what is shown on this piece of Russian Constructivist artwork.
Can anyone ...
3
votes
2answers
182 views
Meaning of the negation in phrases like “не должен прочитать”
I am often confused by phrases like "не должен прочитать," "не должен сделать," "не должен работать," "не должен платить" and so on. Sometimes the negation appears to refer to "должен," and sometimes -...
4
votes
3answers
303 views
What does “мы натешимся с козой ” mean in Bryusov's poem?
Here is an excerpt from a poem by Valery Bryusov, a classic Russian writer:
Повлекутъ меня съ собой
Къ играмъ рыжіе силены;
Мы натѣшимся съ козой,
Гдѣ лужайку сжали стѣны.
Всѣмъ ...
6
votes
5answers
308 views
What is the meaning of “то, что он пишет”?
I am confused by the phrases like "то, что он пишет" and by the construction "то, что" in general. For example, let us consider this sentence:
(1) То, что он пишет, и так ясно.
However simple and ...
5
votes
3answers
313 views
Why was the Russian letter X called “хѣръ”?
The official name of the letter X in the old Russian alphabet was хѣръ, which is how modern Russians call a dick.
The names of most other letters of the old Russian alphabet are understandable: азъ (...
3
votes
4answers
271 views
“Крутой” and “жёсткий” as personality traits: Meanings and difference
I often saw that the Russians use the adjective "крутой" and "жёсткий" to describe personalities, but I find it hard to understand these words and the difference between them. Here are a couple of ...
2
votes
3answers
213 views
“Выиграть соперника”: Is it correct, or why do many journalists write in this way?
Playing gomokunarabe on an international server, I saw a couple of Russian players saying "выиграть его," and the intended meaning apparently was "to win against him" as far as could judge from the ...
4
votes
4answers
931 views
What is the precise meaning of “я считаю, что”?
I am puzzled by the Russian phrase "я считаю, что," which is used very frequently. I know that an approximate translation is "I think that," but I strongly feel that there is some special idea, ...
1
vote
1answer
182 views
What is the meaning of “Шню”?
I am quite a beginner, and I am studying Russian language by myself.
Currently I am trying to learn by translating some fairy tale from Народные русские сказки, by Афанасьев.
There is this one fairy ...
11
votes
8answers
3k views
What is the meaning of “понаехать”?
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 ...
3
votes
1answer
95 views
Seeking clarity on a reference to a native Toen (Тойон)
This is a passage from K.T. Khlebnikov's Zapiski about people who hosted him in Kamchatka. A Toen (Тойон) is a native chief or elder.
Василiй Волковъ Тоенъ Каряцкой, будучи хорошимъ хозяиномъ, ...
5
votes
3answers
189 views
Difference between “настрой” and “настроение”
People asked me "Как настрой"?
I thought it meant the same as "Как настроение?".
They claimed the meaning was not the same but did not really explain what was the difference (just something like "...
1
vote
0answers
75 views
what is what is the historical context of the song of the Russian bard, Michael Scherbakov? [closed]
Curious about the historical context of the song of the Russian bard, Michael Scherbakov:
Михаил Щербаков - Прощальная 2
Вчера и сегодня, и завтра, и после, почти незаметно, Всегда неизменно,
...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
“Отведать тунца” - what does this idiom mean?
I frequently play gomokunarabe, a Japanese strategy game, on an international server and sometimes face Russians as opponents, as a variant of this game is apparently popular in Russia and known as "...
3
votes
3answers
175 views
Subtleties of making a request in Russian
In my university I was explained various grammatical means of making a request, but find it very difficult to understand their connotations. Your language is so rich and nuanced in this regard.
Let's ...
1
vote
2answers
264 views
How can “научись” mean “take it and keep trying”?
I recently watched an excellent Russian movie "The Horde" in Russian with English subtitles and got totally confused by one scene in it. The scene is as follows. The Khan tells a European ambassador, "...
5
votes
2answers
458 views
What is the difference between “дерзкий,” “наглый,” and “нахальный”?
Wiktionary gives the following definitions of дерзкий, наглый, and нахальный:
дерзкий:
brazen, impudent, impertinent, insolent, cheeky, pert
bold, daring, audacious
наглый:
...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
What people are called boars (“кабан”) and why?
I discovered yesterday that the Russians often use the word "кабан" ("wild boar") or its Old Russian analogue "вепрь" to talk about people:
(1) Что ещё раз доказывает, что здоровья у Уайта ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
The original word for a wild boar
I recently accidentally discovered that the Russians call wild boars by a word borrowed from Turkic languages - "кабан." The etymological dictionary by Preobrazhensky clearly states:
Заимств. из ...
25
votes
8answers
16k views
Why do Russians call their women expensive (“дорогая”)?
My question is in the title of this post, and I do not know what else to say. I am just puzzled.
Okay, to avoid my post being put on hold for being too succinct, I will add a couple of naive thoughts ...
6
votes
4answers
613 views
When and why did Asian and Southern people start to be called “чурки”?
Wiktionary gives eight different meanings as well as the etymological origin of the word "чурка": Meanings 1-4 are various small pieces of wood or metal, Meaning 5 is a simpleton or uneducated person, ...
1
vote
5answers
338 views
How should I interpret phrases like “должен ли Путин уйти”?
I recently wrote a question about the modal должен, explaining that this modal is very hard to me because it has very different meanings.
As my question was deemed too broad and put on hold, I would ...
3
votes
2answers
144 views
Футболка это специальная T-shirt для игры в футбол?
Или это есть просто название верхней летней одежды?
You can answer in English.
3
votes
2answers
309 views
Что значит слово “задрот”? Meaning of the word
Recently I heard this word in the half offending/joking form so can't really get what's that mean?
2
votes
4answers
112 views
2
votes
0answers
205 views
The impossibly difficult modal “должен” [closed]
Должен is one of the most fundamental Russian modals and is impossibly difficult for me, even more than the modal мочь was before I asked here a question about the latter. I received so thoughtful, ...
3
votes
4answers
150 views
“Oбнулить” и “настраивать на нуль”
На викисловаре есть два перевода английского глагола zero. Суть "обнулить" и "настраивать на нуль". Насколько я вижу, "настраивать на нуль" гораздо реже чем "обнулить", но я об В этом не полностью ...
27
votes
8answers
3k views
How can I finally understand the confusing modal verb “мочь”?
The verb мочь is one of the most basic words, actually a central modal verb, but I am so much confused about it. I am often at a loss as to how to interpret it in particular sentences, and I avoid ...
