All Questions
4,663
questions
0
votes
1
answer
11
views
Word order: «Я тот же, но без тебя прежним не буду». And would it be correct to use «тобой» and «таким» instead?
Does the sentence «Я тот же, но без тебя прежним не буду» ("I'm the same, but I won't be the same without you") sound natural with the words in that particular order?
Also, in this case it ...
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8
votes
5
answers
704
views
What's a good translation for "HP" / "Hit Points"?
"HP" (standing for "Hit Points" or "Health Points") is a term commonly found in sci-fi and fantasy role-playing games. Can anyone give me a clue as to how to translate ...
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18
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why is the letter "г" in some Russian words pronounced [v]?
We all agree that the letter г in Russian is equivalent to g in English. But why is the letter г in some Russian words pronounced [v]?
For example:
сегодня = pronounced as if it is written: севодня
...
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3
votes
4
answers
319
views
How do I interpret the phrase «стал было во главе обороны»?
How do I interpret the sentence "Князь Долгорукий стал было во главе обороны" from the novel Белая Гвардия by Bulgakov (about the revolution period in Kiev)?
"Когда гетмана спрашивали: ...
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1
vote
0
answers
58
views
Когда/Почему используется глагол «быть» в прошедшем времени с другим прошедшим глаголом? [duplicate]
Я читаю книгу Пелевина «Омон Ра» и несколько раз видел такую конструкцию, типа:
[...] я положил было руку на трубку, но вспомнил, что уже заткнул уши ватой;
Почему используется здесь «было», то есть,...
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2
votes
1
answer
231
views
How to say the difference between two things
How would one say "The difference between [object A] and [object B] is..." in Russian?
For instance, I might want to ask "Do you know the difference between chinos and jeans?". A ...
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0
votes
1
answer
67
views
Different ways to ask [duplicate]
There appear to be three different words in Russian for the English word 'to ask': спрашивать, просить, and задавать. Are these synonyms, and if not, how are they different?
5
votes
2
answers
137
views
What's the correct punctuation when using an interjection?
I want to use "так" dismissively as an interjection in a sentence like:
Главное — собраться, а остальное, так, найдется.
Would an ellipsis (rather than a comma) better convey the ...
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3
votes
2
answers
146
views
Пунктуация в предложениях по типу "Ну сколько их там(?) 5–6?" и ему подобных
Уважаемые пользователи.
Имеется предложение "Ну сколько DVD-дисков покупает в среднем человек за названный период(?) 5–6?", вводящее меня в заблуждение: не знаю, какой знак препинания ...
4
votes
1
answer
73
views
"Вечно" + отрицание прилагательного
Как правильно писать: вечнонезабытый или вечно незабытый? Вечно неженатый или вечнонеженатый? Similar question for words with this structure.
I know that вечнозелёный (without не), for example, is ...
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7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What do the abbreviations "мн." and "ч." mean?
On the wiktionary page for дар (gift), in some of the definitions, the abbreviations "мн." and "ч." appear, what do they mean?
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2
votes
1
answer
147
views
Is the sentence "В комнату вошла женщина и мальчик" grammatically correct?
I'll respect each and every opinion. Today, I saw professionals opting for the following variant:
В комнату вошла женщина и мальчик.
They say it's totally correct because женщина is a feminine ...
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4
votes
3
answers
946
views
Meaning of если что
I found these two recently in different sources:
Она уже не маленькая, если что.
(talking about their daughter, who wanted to move to America)
Я пойду и побью его.
- Он 5 лет занимался ...
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2
votes
5
answers
1k
views
meaning and usage of "что ты"
What is the meaning of "что ты" when person uses it during conversation like this:
Это твой папа?
Нет! что ты! Это мой дядя.
Does it mean What are you saying? or You're saying the wrong ...
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3
votes
1
answer
215
views
What does it mean to tell someone to take an implement в зубы and do a task with it?
I recently came across this line:
[Father to son upon seeing how messy his room is]
—Так, пылесос в зубы, и чтоб через час здесь был порядок как в
казарме!
Then, researching this idiom online ...
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3
votes
1
answer
257
views
What is the etymology of какаовелла?
Inspired by this question, what is the etymology of какаовелла? The какао part is easy, but what about велла?
- 52.1k
3
votes
3
answers
213
views
Breadth of the word "нетство"
Those nobles who attempted to escape from obligatory military service to the Russian Empire, the "нетчики", performed "нетство".
I wonder if, with some creativity, "нетство&...
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4
votes
3
answers
334
views
When does "e" change to "ё" in plurals?
I've just started learning German, and what strikes me about their plurals is that a word in its plural form can change not only at the end but in the middle as well (die Kopf / die Köpfe, der Stuhl / ...
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22
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is there an unstressed ё?
It's said that the letter ё is always stressed. However, while browsing declension charts for numerals, if I'm not mistaken, I noticed the following:
Трёхсо́т
With a stress mark on the syllable -сот.
...
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3
votes
5
answers
483
views
What does "внушать себе" mean?
What does "внушать себе" mean?
The sentence goes as follows:
"Кровать подо мною подымалась, опускалась и вновь подымалась - плыла по синусоиде. Я внушал себе: "Ночью - нумера ...
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2
votes
1
answer
97
views
Instrumental for genitive construction
In a poem by Anna Akhmatova, we read:
В таком году произошло бы то-то,
А в этом — это: ездить, видеть, думать,
И вспоминать, и в новую любовь
Входить, как в зеркало, с тупым сознаньем
Измены и еще ...
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2
votes
1
answer
255
views
What's the best translation for the word "nest" in a technical context?
What's the best Russian translation for the word "nest" in a technical context?
For example:
f[x] applies f to x. f[f[x]] applies f to f[x], or effectively nests the application of f. It’s ...
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3
votes
1
answer
197
views
Animate accusative for countries
In Трава и камни by Boris Pasternak we read:
С действительностью иллюзию,
С растительностью гранит
Так сблизили Польша и Грузия,
Что это обеих роднит.
I'm surprised by "обеих". I would ...
- 52.1k
7
votes
2
answers
385
views
What is the etymology of phrase "морского извозчика"
In China, the Netherlands has a very popular nickname: 海上马车夫 (literally: carriage drivers on the sea or sea coachman), it's so popular that it's printed in Chinese high school textbooks. It's also ...
- 52.1k
8
votes
5
answers
339
views
Enumerations in Russian - is an "и" needed?
When listing things in Russian using commas, do you use an "и" before the last thing, e.g. "столы, стулья и полки", or should it just be "столы, стулья, полки"?
I've seen ...
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4
votes
1
answer
232
views
Этимология слова "черенок" в значении кошелёк, использованное Гоголем?
В произведении "Тарас Бульба" Н.В.Гоголя присутствует следующая фраза: "... снявши с него саблю с дорогою рукоятью и отвязавши от пояса целый черенок с червонцами".
Очевидно (и подтверждается ...
- 52.1k
4
votes
3
answers
353
views
Как сказать "Computer Science" по-русски?
I've seen a lot of different translations for "computer science" like, "компьютер саенс" and "компьютерные науки". I was wondering which one is correct.
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2
votes
1
answer
103
views
вспоминать o + the prepositional versus вспоминать + the accusative
Apparently, вспоминать can be followed by о + the prepositional or directly by the accusative. How do I know which construction I should use? Or are both constructions possible in any context? Do they ...
- 52.1k
-2
votes
1
answer
137
views
What does с каре mean? [closed]
I have encountered девочка с каре in a song and девушка с каре in comments on social media. I have absolutely no idea what с каре means. Clarification would be highly appreciated.
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3
votes
3
answers
159
views
What's the difference between "такой" and "такой же"?
I understand what the word means, but I just can't pin down any difference between the two choices. They seem absolutely identical, but Russian speakers seem to prefer the second version:
Это такая ...
- 16.1k
2
votes
2
answers
160
views
Будущее время для описания прошлых событий - что это за приём в лингвистике?
Рассмотрим небольшой текст, в котором идёт самое обычное перечисление исторических событий:
Весной 1820 года Александр Пушкин отправился в Кишинев, в канцелярию
главного попечителя колонистов Южного ...
- 1,542
9
votes
1
answer
422
views
What's the reason for the change from "-аго" to "-oго"?
Таяніе снѣга въ сѣверной части Ладожскаго бассейна...
This sentence is taken from a book published in 1908. I understand that the spelling reform of 1917 simplified things by reducing the number of ...
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2
votes
1
answer
126
views
путеводная нить meaning
What does путоводная нить mean? Here's the sentence:
"Путеводной нитью нам служила маленькая тропинка проложенная китайскими охотниками и искателями женьшеня."
- 101
2
votes
2
answers
166
views
From Фермат to Ферма
In a Russian math book published in 1888, I see that Fermat, whose name today is written as Ферма, appears in the book as Фермат. He is in the book largely because of Fermat's little theorem, now ...
- 52.1k
3
votes
2
answers
385
views
What is the meaning of Shatun when applied to Russian family names?
I understand that the Russian word shatun was applied in Siberia to describe a grizzly bear that didn’t go into its usual hibernation, or was awakened before spring, and prowls around in winter, ...
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3
votes
1
answer
231
views
Were Russian surnames in the 19th century just nicknames or actual person’s name?
Let’s say a person born in the 19th century had the name “Mikhail Shatunov”. Is the surname “Shatunov” a nickname or does it mean that an actual person named “Shatun” was his (grand)father?
If it were ...
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12
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Russian pronunciation of /etc (a directory)
Abstracting from the fact that it is usually pronounced as in English, how should the /etc directory be pronounced in Russian?
I was under the impression that since it transliterates to /етц, it ...
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2
votes
3
answers
145
views
Difference of pronunciations of музей and музеи
I thought that the pronunciations of й and и were virtually the same, but the plural form of музей (museum) is музеи (museums). When I hear one of these words and can't distinguish them by context, or ...
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0
votes
1
answer
96
views
Как вас зовут or как ваш зовут
If вас = personal pronoun and ваш = possessive pronoun, isn't "your name" possessive?
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3
votes
1
answer
120
views
Is the construction "любые шестьдесят один шарик" grammatically correct?
В коробке лежат n шариков трёх цветов: красного, синего и зелёного.
Если достать из неё любые 61 шарик, то среди них обязательно окажется
по крайней мере 15 синих и хотя бы по 7 красных и зелёных. При ...
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24
votes
6
answers
3k
views
What's the difference between -либо and -нибудь?
The pairs кто-нибудь and кто-либо, когда-нибудь and когда-либо etc. have slight differences in meaning and each particle is used in specific settings, but I can't quite pinpoint what the difference is....
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7
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Is "й" pronounced as "j" or "y"?
The reference material I've been reading is somewhat confusing. Some sources say that "й" is equivalent to "j", while others say it's equivalent to "y". Which is it? For ...
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1
vote
1
answer
95
views
ведомо versus знать
Is there any difference between "мне ведомо" and "я знаю"? Are they interchangeable in any situation? Is "мне ведомо" more formal?
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14
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Difference between "использовать" and "пользоваться"
I know that the verb to use can be translated into Russian as использовать (with the accusative) or пользоваться (with the instrumental).
I wanted to ask if there's a difference in meaning/usage ...
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2
votes
1
answer
139
views
Is the second locative used with при?
Grammars and various other linguistic publications generally state that the second locative is used only with в and на (e.g. в лесу, в аэропорту). However, it seems to me that I have come across ...
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0
votes
0
answers
135
views
What is the geography of (now obsolete) usage of the word фамилия to mean 'wife'?
While Valentin Kiparsky claimed (in Omagiu lui Iordan) that this usage is a calque from Tatar and therefore found in the Russian varieties spoken in and near Kazan (the area of the Tatar-speaking ...
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5
votes
1
answer
91
views
Do I need a comma before a clause consisting of only two words (preposition + pronoun)?
Примечание 2. Придаточное предложение, состоящее из одного только
союза или относительного слова, не отделяется запятой, например:
– Откуда? Я сказал откуда.
http://new.gramota.ru/biblio/readingroom/...
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4
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Use of the word "грамота"
I came across the word "грамота" in the following sentence:
Он открыл школы для обучения детей грамоте.
I'm trying to understand the structures in the sentence and analyze it, but I couldn'...
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8
votes
2
answers
21k
views
Расселина и расщелина - в чем разница?
Рас..елина в леднике. - что надо использовать? Есть ли смысловая разница?
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10
votes
1
answer
9k
views
Analog of IT term “костыль” in English [closed]
I am not sure if this is a proper place to post this question, but I was unable to find any better.
In software development, we tend to use the Russian word “костыль” (crutch) to denote a solution ...
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