Questions tagged [узус]

Now covers questions about the usage of the Russian language in other countries.

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What does м ж.-д. stands for in the screenshot below?

What does the м ж.-д. stand for in the screenshot below? Source: brks.info
Jack's user avatar
  • 13
5 votes
2 answers
196 views

Use of instrumental and nominative cases with "быть" and "стать"

I was practicing my Russian with a friend when she wrote the following: "когда я пришёл на фестиваль, народу было не очень много, но позже очереди за едой стали слишком длинные." In this ...
Rivi's user avatar
  • 51
1 vote
5 answers
350 views

How to translate "Adorkable" into Russian?

The word "Adorkable" is a portmanteau of "Adorable" and "Dork." That neatly encapsulates this trope. Adorkable characters are "dorky" in some fashion. Maybe ...
Zemril B.'s user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
163 views

Is it becoming the norm for Russians to handwrite in block letters in informal situations?

Is it more common to see block letters nowadays, especially on the internet? For example, I've linked to a Twitter artist who (among many others) seems to handwrite in block letters in their comics. I ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
236 views

Difference between "толстовка", "свитшот", "худи", "кофта" and "пуловер"?

Could someone give me some insight on these Russian words from the perspective of a native Russian? From what I've seen, many websites use these words interchangeably, and some of those websites even ...
HOY's user avatar
  • 325
1 vote
3 answers
309 views

Rendering emphatic "that" in Russian

Below are two uses of that in the sense of настолько. In the first example, it just means not very, but in the second one, it means (emphatically) to the extent you’re implying(!). How is this ...
CocoPop's user avatar
  • 8,255
1 vote
0 answers
85 views

What are the lyrics to this song translated into english? [closed]

Улыбка - Крошка енот - Moscow Boys' Choir DEBUT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANNQrVKUjws The video says its from the song or poem Smile from "Baby Raccoon".
obiwan's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
2 answers
143 views

About grapes (виноград) and grapes (винограды)

I understand that in Russian, виноград is a collective noun implying the plural “grapes”. However, when looking into it in Wikislovar (https://ru.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%...
Xavier's user avatar
  • 335
3 votes
3 answers
268 views

Russian slang: "the letter Х"

Someone told me that in Russian slang, people ask each other: Kак дела? (How are you?), to which the obvious answer is Хорошо (Good). But there's another word that starts with "x" and means ...
slangrussian's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
231 views

How can I figure out if an adjective is hard or soft without seeing its ending?

I can't determine whether the adjective is hard or soft without seeing its ending. I need to be able to tell if the adjective is hard or soft without seeing its ending. What I mean is, how can I tell ...
OMAR's user avatar
  • 41
5 votes
1 answer
258 views

Strange use of 'и': для этого и делается

I was listening at Navalny's phone call and at some point he says: ровно для этого и делается доклад It is supposed to translate to: this is exactly what the report is for What I understand so far:...
Antoine Dufourchon's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
2k views

Why has the word Жид (Jew) become a taboo in Russian?

As far as I know, it is a neutral word in some Slavic languages, and it was legal in Russian before the Russian Revolution. However, now, it's completely illegal and, thus, Russians utter it only to ...
Zhyd's user avatar
  • 59
-1 votes
1 answer
174 views

Kaliningrad ... may it be referred to as Kalinograd?

Kaliningrad is the Russian exclave sandwiched in between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic coast. Every time I think of it I find myself saying "Kalinograd" because in English usage ...
Bill Stremmel's user avatar
9 votes
5 answers
2k views

The word подарок - abstract meaning?

In my Russian class, we are learning holiday vocabulary, and I am wondering if there exists an abstract meaning for “подарок». For example, could you be talking about “the gift of forgiveness” or “the ...
Yelena's user avatar
  • 101
1 vote
4 answers
552 views

Can стакан сока be used here instead of сок?

In the book Дорога в Россию - учебник русского языка, there's a conversation that describes the scene of buying food: Мне нравится эта рыба, этот салат, этот сок. Дайте, пожалуйста. which means the ...
FFjet's user avatar
  • 153
1 vote
1 answer
262 views

«Для» или «за»? – This store is for the purchase of

I was writing a paragraph, and a sentence within (and the previous sentence) is, in English: (The first store sells mostly bulk produce.) The second store is (a) traditional (store), for the purchase ...
nate's user avatar
  • 1,299
1 vote
1 answer
295 views

Do Russian speakers in the former USSR countries use patronymics?

Can the general calling conventions in Russian (for example - Dimitri Ivanovich Petrov will be formally referred to as Dimitri Ivanovich) be extended to the countries of the former Soviet Union (...
user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
285 views

What does this expression mean in Russian? "во даёт!" [closed]

Give me some phrases examples as well plz
Laurel Gomes's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
144 views

The adjective "экономичный" to modify animate objects

Would it make sense to say "Я очень экономичный муж", or "У меня такая экономичная собака" when someone wishes to allude to his being frugal with apparel, meal, diversions etc. Or a dog is small and ...
Eugene's user avatar
  • 381
0 votes
1 answer
85 views

Нужна ли запятая в этом предложении?

На наш миллионник, не более двух-трех пар.
Горячева Мария's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

How to type "@" symbol in Russian keyboard layout? [closed]

Does a Russian keyboard layout support the "@" symbol? I had to switch to an English keyboard to type "@".
Mahammad Isgandarli's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
693 views

What does "так и есть" and "ну что ж" mean?

What does "так и есть" and "ну что ж" mean, are these idioms? How are they used in sentences?
mathExplorer's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
114 views

short, long adjective, adverb for two consecutive words

In Nicholas J. Brown's book, The New Penguin Russian Course - A Complete Course for Beginners (1996), there is an exercise (27.5 if it matters) containing a sentence; Девяносто пять процентов тех, ...
nate's user avatar
  • 1,299
1 vote
2 answers
246 views

"Хотелось" or "хочу"

1). хотелось = мне хотелось / I wanted 2). хочу = я хочу купить что нибудь для тебя / I want to buy something for you What is the difference between "хотелось" when used in the first scenario v.s. ...
nicolasns96's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
435 views

Why do some people pronounce "о" as "a" and some just pronounce "o" as "o"?

It makes no sense to me; when I'm listening to Russians on YouTube, they sometimes pronounce "о" as "a", and sometimes as "o" — why is this? Another thing, if I choose to ...
Almonds812's user avatar
  • 1,053
-2 votes
2 answers
155 views

Difference Between and when to select which when they fuse. "меня" V.S "я"

I am not only confused with the overall definition and distinction between "меня" and "я" but also when to use which when 2 different phrases containing one of them each merge together. As an example:...
nicolasns96's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
191 views

When to use which with "не" / " нет"

Why is the word "не" used in the phrase: "мне не нравится"= "I Don't Like" But on the contrary "нет" is used in this one: "у меня нет"= "I Don't Have" Is it a rule that Always "мне" goes with "не" ...
nicolasns96's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
163 views

How would I say "of the silk road" as in a male dog or horse or cat from the silk road?

How would I say "of the silk road" as in a male dog or horse or cat from the Silk Road? By "the Silk Road" I mean the ancient general route or area stretching from Russia, Central Asia and China. E....
John Walker's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
240 views

Kamchadalskii dialect

The native people of southern Kamchatka are Itelmen. The arrival of Russian men around 1700 created a mixed group called Kamchadals. By 1800, the Itelmen languages were mostly extinct and the Russian ...
Aaron Brick's user avatar
  • 1,396
0 votes
2 answers
182 views

I need help working out someone's first name and last name

I need to work out the first and last name of a Russian man,SEIDOV CHARY. Which is first and which is last?
vaheeds's user avatar
  • 103
5 votes
5 answers
3k views

How do you write a featuring artist into a song title

In English there is a convention where you can include featured artists of a song in the song's title using the format: [Song Title] feat. [Featured Artist] What is the equivalent of this in ...
KalenGi's user avatar
  • 275
0 votes
1 answer
96 views

How do you say "I belive in you!" in russian? [closed]

It has to be 30 characters that's why this is here. And i mean "in you" not that i believe you.
Peter's user avatar
  • 11
2 votes
1 answer
314 views

What are the Latin Transliterations of Hard Consonants Converted to Soft Consonants?

I have been studying Russian recently and I have come across a problem that I have been trying to resolve for some time now which involves the softening of consonants. I understand that there are ...
The Contextual Path's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
143 views

“Быть” with tenses, gender, number but in affirmative sentences

A homework question, exactly quoted, В этот период у нас было много неожиданных трудностей. but in reviewing my previous question, When to use 'не было' and 'не будет' regardless of ...
nate's user avatar
  • 1,299
10 votes
5 answers
2k views

What are the rules of the locative case?

I understood the first time I heard about the locative that it was usually reserved for monosyllabic masculine nouns (ex. чай, дом, сок) with exceptions (кровь, дверь). However, I recently saw that на ...
Judicaël's user avatar
  • 499
5 votes
3 answers
113 views

clarification on the proper form of a possessive pronoun

Simple question at the end of my textbook (finally)... I'm supposed to provide the proper form for a possessive pronoun in the blank: Где ____ машина! Вы видели ____ машину? Нет, я не видел ____ ...
nate's user avatar
  • 1,299
7 votes
1 answer
104 views

Очередь на Серова (=выставку Серова): A specific type of metonymy?

I'm wondering, if anybody knows, what is this type called and if there are theoretical studies and/or monographies about contexts, in which these forms could be particulary used (проходим Пушкина (=...
ACKA's user avatar
  • 151
9 votes
2 answers
492 views

Difference between царь and король?

The only sites answering this question are in Russian text, so I wanted to ask it here.
Zed's user avatar
  • 91
2 votes
0 answers
56 views

Training books or sites [duplicate]

I'm new to Russian and started learning it about 2 or 3 months ago. Till now I've been using Duolingo to learn Russian, and as you may all know, Duolingo is not the site for 'Grammar' and I had to ...
крис's user avatar
  • 101
2 votes
1 answer
76 views

"for the benefit of", на благо vs для?

I've learned that when using "for", when meaning "benefit from", you would use "для + gen". But I've also just learned "на благо", meaning the same thing. Are they synonyms? How are they different?
Thrash Tech's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
199 views

City name change when used in sentence?

I use Google to translate 2 sentences involving 2 cities (Liman-Лиман, Kamyzyak-Камызяк): The distance from Liman to Kamyzyak. The distance between Liman and Kamyzyak. Расстояние от Лиман до ...
Tony's user avatar
  • 217
6 votes
3 answers
197 views

"Я в состоянии" vs "я способен"?

I've come across я в состоянии плавать, I can (am able) to swim, and я способен, I can (am able)... How are both of these used?
Thrash Tech's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
205 views

Need help with declarative sentence

How would you translate this sentence: "Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov the director of Burnt by the Sun" I thought it would be: " <<Утомленные солнцем>> директора - Никита Сергеевич Михалов " ...
Oracle64's user avatar
  • 331
3 votes
2 answers
573 views

Phrase meaning “ты мой золотой”

I have been chatting with someone for a while now and she used the phrase “ты мой золотой” we have met before but currently we are in different country. My question is what does this phrase stand for? ...
David's user avatar
  • 247
3 votes
2 answers
444 views

Correct pronunciation of vowels and soft/hard consonants

I have read in several places online that it would be wrong to use the terms "soft vowels" and "hard vowels", and instead it's more correct to call them vowels which indicate a ...
rapt's user avatar
  • 557
7 votes
5 answers
2k views

"She wants him to like her." - Where is "her"?

I saw this sentence in Charles E Townsend's, Continuing with Russian, Она хочет ему нравиться. She wants him to like her (in general). and I wondered where the 'her' was. If it was a little more ...
nate's user avatar
  • 1,299
3 votes
2 answers
5k views

What's the difference between доброе, добрый and доброй? [closed]

Also, is there a difference between "спокойной ночи" and "доброй ночи"?
Trey's user avatar
  • 2,077
4 votes
2 answers
298 views

Which это? Particle or Special Adjective/Pronoun

In the sentence, "But that's not true." I see a translation as "Но это не правда." I know 'правда' is feminine so it seems that the 'это' being used is the indeclinable particle, and not the ...
nate's user avatar
  • 1,299
4 votes
1 answer
27k views

What is the difference between "мои" , "моя", "мой"? [duplicate]

My curiosity I have started learning Russian. While i read some articles they specified same meaning for different word. Can any one clarify my doubt and guide me in right path?
soorapadman's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
481 views

Как сказать "лихие девяностые" на английском? [closed]

I honestly don't know. Gave it some thought, but best i could come up with is Roaring 90s,Dashing 90s? Those familiar with a term - what do you think?
JAM's user avatar
  • 1,316