Questions tagged [значения]
Questions about the meaning of words or phrases that you couldn't find in a dictionary.
495
questions
4
votes
6answers
273 views
How should I understand and translate “закатить истерику”?
Some time ago I took a test in which I had to translate some short texts from Russian into English. One of them contained the following sentence:
По приходу домой она закатила истерику.
My solution ...
3
votes
1answer
156 views
What is the meaning of the proverb 'Гостям стол, а коням столб'
I cannot seem to grasp the meaning of 'Гостям стол, коням столб', more specifically in the context of someone saying they have to hurry and leave.
Does it have anything to do with being welcomed and ...
10
votes
1answer
284 views
Difference between “в кухне” and “на кухне”
I was reading Chekov's short story Ионыч and in the first chapter I found the following sentences:
Когда в доме сидели гости, то в кухне стучали ножами.
Окна были отворены настежь, слышно было, как ...
3
votes
2answers
180 views
Difference between “спасибо большое” and “большое спасибо”
What is the difference between these two phrases as they both appear to mean "Thank you very much".
Looking at Google Ngram I see that большое спасибо is more common. Is there any difference ...
4
votes
1answer
156 views
Difference between смешнoй and забавный
These both appear to mean funny or amusing and I was looking for where one was more appropriate than the other. Is забавный less comical and more amusing or entertaining while смешнoй would be ...
4
votes
1answer
105 views
Use of делать в кучку
I came across this phrase earlier and was wondering if this extends to other contexts.
"и глаза в кучку делает"
Remarking that the dog's eyes were crossed however кучка means knot. So it ...
0
votes
2answers
111 views
Meaning of “Оставайтесь инкогнито” in this context
I'm looking for someone to help me understand an exchange I had on Instagram. I studied Russian about 13 years ago and have been trying to practice recently. I followed some Instagram accounts for ...
4
votes
3answers
272 views
Can “ты ещё нас всех переживёшь” have a positive connotation?
A little granddaughter tells her grandma:
ты ещё нас всех переживёшь (you will survive all of us)
Grandma gets offended because she interprets it as a death wish.
Is this reasonable?!
Маленькая ...
25
votes
3answers
2k views
How can I understand this puzzling dialogue with “ну я имею в виду вообще”?
My Russian teacher recently had us, his students, listen some audio recordings of what he called "authentic everyday communications of Russians." We had to understand the dialogues and ...
4
votes
2answers
230 views
What is the meaning of “ищущим людям” in this text?
The context is the following paragraph (from https://baaltii1.livejournal.com/198675.html):
Этот разговор мы начали в Принстоне, прогуливаясь по тамошней жизни и красивому закату. Показалось, что ...
32
votes
3answers
3k views
What's the meaning of “у нас” in phrases like “он у нас умный”?
The grammatical construction у меня, literally at/near me, is the Russian way to express possession and is also used to express proximity:
У меня хорошая подруга. (I have a good friend.)
Она сейчас у ...
2
votes
1answer
142 views
What is “вот тебе раз” and how do you use it?
so I'm learning a few phrases in Russian and I came across this sentence, but I'm not sure of what it means, like the few online translators that I have tried tell me that is something like "Here you ...
2
votes
2answers
238 views
How to convey the emotion “I am happy”
There are certain words and phrases that mean satisfied, happy, or otherwise contented
я рад
я доволен
я удовлетворен
In english, "I am happy", that is "being happy" is a state of mind ...
7
votes
3answers
405 views
Logic behind structures like «в общей сложности»
In one formal texts I encountered this "в общей сложности" used when addressing the total amount of something. An example context below:
В общей сложности страны СНГ продемонстрировали падение ...
0
votes
2answers
165 views
Значение слова “порядка” в определённом контексте
В одном тексте есть следующая фраза:
Порядка 10% (россиян) проходили обучающие онлайн-курсы
Каково значение слова порядка в этом контексте? Я бы догадался, что оно такое же как "около". Но порядок ...
3
votes
1answer
125 views
what is the nominative for кутасы (and what does it mean)
I believe the nominative form of кутасы will be кутаса?
What does кутаса mean?
I found this word in the following sentence, which I took from
Война и мир (Толстой)/Том I/Часть II/Глава VII:
...
4
votes
2answers
95 views
“клеветa в отношении чего-то” vs. “клеветa о чём-то”
What's the difference between "Распространять клевету в отношении Китая" and "Распространять клевету о Китае"? Is there a slight difference in meaning there?
2
votes
7answers
619 views
Why do Russians say that all men are billy goats (все мужики козлы)?
I was given a Russian song as a listening exercise, and, as far as I could discern, its chorus is:
И мы не устаем, и с ночи до утра
Мы можем говорить, говорить о мужиках.
Бокал до дна в трудные ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
How can I say in Russian “to see each other” and “to be exclusive to each other,” in the context of dating?
I cannot find the Russian phrases for these two stages of dating and am humbly asking for your help. I know that Russians say Маша встречается с Ваней (which literally means Masha regularly meets ...
21
votes
6answers
8k views
Why do Russians call a joke a stake (прикол)?
In modern Russian, прикол is a very frequently used word and means a joke, a funny incident, or just anything funny, but the original meaning of this word is very different: a stake to which a ship, a ...
1
vote
2answers
213 views
What does “тоже мне” mean? [closed]
What is the best way to translate these?
Тоже мне!
Тоже мне герой.
Тоже мне новость.
-
1
vote
3answers
362 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 ...
7
votes
2answers
327 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 ...
8
votes
3answers
446 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
4answers
445 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
258 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
4answers
438 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
988 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
318 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
378 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
votes
3answers
262 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
233 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 ...
6
votes
5answers
480 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 ...
9
votes
8answers
533 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
283 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, ...
3
votes
3answers
260 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 interpreted formally as ...
5
votes
3answers
507 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
130 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
21
votes
4answers
1k 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.&...
8
votes
4answers
655 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 to me, but then I ...
1
vote
0answers
125 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
207 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
330 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 настанетъ череда
...
6
votes
5answers
578 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.
...
6
votes
3answers
462 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
283 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 ...
2
votes
3answers
236 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
977 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 ...
