All Questions
4,663
questions
0
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1
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111
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What does "ну-ка" means? [closed]
I've seen this a lot in a comedy series that I'm watching.
For example in a situation when the boss yell at some unknown guys to get out of the house he says:
"Ну-ка, пошли вон отсюда!"
- 3
2
votes
1
answer
130
views
Understanding a job posting "Если у вас есть суперсила, расскажите о ней в отклике."
От нас:
Интересная исследовательская работа, возможность создавать новые
нестандартные решения в области работы с данными
Высокая заработная плата - фикс + бонусы (обсуждается индивидуально с
...
- 396
1
vote
2
answers
160
views
Why does this sentence use dative form?
In the following sentence:
Одна из вещей, которая делает Фенча немного сложнее, - это количество неправильных глаголов. Если вы изучаете такой язык, как испанский, правила довольно просты, но когда ...
- 1,157
1
vote
3
answers
117
views
Conflict in applicable case
From my (beginner's) understanding, most of the time, choosing the right case to use for a word is a straightforward process: after много, use the genitive, etc.
However, sometimes there can be ...
- 13
1
vote
5
answers
296
views
Is my understanding of the surname suffix -ов correct?
I have two questions about the suffix -ов in Russian surnames.
Is the -ов surname suffix the most common one in Russia?
Does the -ов surname suffix in modern Russian mean "a descendant of the ...
- 203
1
vote
3
answers
172
views
Use of на in place of за/для
If I wanted to say that I moved somewhere for work, my understanding is that I could say переехал из-за работы but that переехал на работу is more natural. I also think that для работы is wrong here, ...
- 295
1
vote
2
answers
152
views
Case of "час" after в+numeral
"Мы в трёх часах езды от Бостона."
I came across this sentence in Russian, and it seemed wrong to me. I would have expected час to either be in genitive singular case (часа) since we have ...
- 11
1
vote
3
answers
196
views
What is the difference between уезжать/уехать and покидать/покинуть?
I've been struggling with a lot of the verbs of motion. From my knowledge, both of these words mean "to leave." What makes them different? DeepL suggests that I say "мы покинули город&...
- 13
3
votes
1
answer
399
views
How do you cite amounts of money in Russian?
How do you cite amounts of money in Russian?
44 целых – 9 десятков?
Do Russians ever cite quantities as один точка два килограммов мяса instead of один целый два десятка килограммов мяса?
Как ...
- 396
1
vote
1
answer
98
views
Which noun forms to learn in order to know how to decline the noun in all forms?
I'm making an Anki deck to learn vocabulary and, when it comes to nouns, I don't really know which forms of each noun to include and learn. Up to now I've been learning the nominative singular and ...
- 13
-2
votes
1
answer
102
views
What's a better translation of this YouTube comment? [closed]
On this YouTube video someone posted the comment
Интересно, куда же всё-таки пропадает дар речи после песен ДИМАША? Наверное этот дар пропадает вместе с мозгами, потому, что люди несут такую ахинею, ...
1
vote
1
answer
155
views
Understanding the different meanings of 'снисходительный'
I was hoping somebody could help me understand the connection (or lack thereof) between the two translations I have seen of the adjective 'снисходительный' on Wiktionary, respectively 1.'indulgent' or ...
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2
votes
4
answers
181
views
Meaning of this sentence: "Купить нашу продукцию оптом и в розницу можно в специализированных магазинах."
I understand all of the words in this sentence, but I am struggling to parse the meaning by parsing the clauses.
Купить нашу продукцию оптом и в розницу можно в специализированных магазинах.
Is this ...
- 453
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 ...
- 11
0
votes
3
answers
154
views
do a nod and a head shake mean the same thing when answering "S не V, да?" type questions?
This is more about the non-verbal aspect of the language.
Essentially, would a nod and a head shake in response to questions like "Ты не спала, да?" or "Ты не ела, да?" mean the ...
- 145
1
vote
2
answers
199
views
этим пуфом or этом пуфом?
I'd like to say: There is a picture above this pouf.
I thought it would be like this: Над этом пуфом висит фотография.
But when I put this sentence in Google Translate it is showing: Над этим пуфом ...
- 25
4
votes
2
answers
280
views
6
votes
5
answers
527
views
What does "и" do in "Ну ты и дурак!"?
I come across "Ну ты и дурак!" often on the Internet. I understand that it means "What a fool you are!", however I cannot find what makes it a valid form in Russian.
My peeve is ...
- 4,252
2
votes
2
answers
201
views
Difference between "к" and "за" in time expressions?
In my grammar textbook under the section of time expressions in the Russian language there is a table presented with various types of constructions per case. Under предложный падеж are listed the ...
- 259
3
votes
2
answers
464
views
Pronunciation of Г in regional accents
Watching a video with Russian speakers, I noticed two people who pronounced "г" as in Ukrainian, i.e. like a hard English "h". They also used аканье. As far as I know, they were ...
- 133
0
votes
2
answers
123
views
Was the genitive case of personal pronouns ever used to show possession?
For example, nowadays, one might say Собака женщины - большая, but not Собака меня - большая(cf. When should I use genitive personal pronouns versus possessive pronouns?).
Was it ever historically ...
4
votes
1
answer
216
views
Why do some verbs lack certain forms in Russian?
One peculiar aspect of Russian is the fact that some verbs simply don't have certain forms. For example, the verb "победить" doesn't have a first person singular future form. Even though, ...
- 143
2
votes
2
answers
104
views
Instrumental singular declension ба́ня: -ей, why could it also be -ею?
I'm learning declension charts for Russian nouns.
Wikipedia shows the first declension chart as follows:
Singular
Plural
Nominative
-а
-я
-ия
-ы
-и
-ии
Accusative
-у
-ю
-ию
-ы/–
-и/-ь
-ии/-ий
...
- 145
3
votes
3
answers
212
views
посередине vs посреди
I am wondering what the difference is between the two Russian words посередине and посреди? As far as I can tell, they are used in similar contexts to mean "in the middle of," but I can't ...
-3
votes
1
answer
215
views
What are uninfected forms and when should I use them? [closed]
I read in the Wiktionary article on осел that it is an "uninfected" form of another word. The term "uninfected" is a Google Translate'd output for the term "неёфицированный&...
3
votes
2
answers
273
views
Why is Ukrainian name "Володимир" translitterated to "Volodymyr" instead of "Volodimir"?
I always thought Cyrillic character "И" -> "I" while "Й" -> "Y"
If this is true, shouldn't the translitteration be "Volodimir"?
What am I ...
- 31
2
votes
2
answers
271
views
What antonym exists for the word мука?
There is a Russian word мука́ (which means flour in English)
What antonym exists for this word?
- 213
1
vote
3
answers
218
views
куда vs где in the following sentence
Which form is correct:
Куда Паша положил учебники? or Где Паша положил учебники?
- 25
2
votes
2
answers
251
views
Chess drama - What does 1st line ('первой линии') mean please?
See the tweet from 2023 world chess champion challenger (and 2021), Russian supergrandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi, regarding the Carlsen–Niemann controversy:
https://twitter.com/lachesisq/status/...
- 189
4
votes
1
answer
129
views
Do I need to put a colon or dash here?
I'm currently writing some kind of journalistic-style essay about ecology problems, and here, I came up with a sentence, in which I don't know what punctuation to use:
"Первая причина: ...
- 143
4
votes
3
answers
385
views
Russian version of "The apple didn't fall far from the tree"
This idiom means that children usually end up being similar to their parents. Are there any Russian versions of this that are not direct translations?
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1
vote
2
answers
258
views
What does this mean: Если он хоть что-нибудь буркнет, я за себя не ручаюсь
What is the meaning of this sentence? Если он хоть что-нибудь буркнет, я за себя не ручаюсь. I understand the literal meaning, or as Google Translate or DeepL translates it literally: If he muttered ...
- 453
2
votes
1
answer
807
views
In what contexts was самомобилизация used in older (Soviet) times?
This term, самомобилизация, recently surfaced in the news to refer to the forming of (more) volunteer battalions. However, the term was apparently in use before, having been included in a dictionary ...
- 123
1
vote
1
answer
220
views
Что значит личный в личном составе?
Что именно означает слово "личный" в словосочетании "личный состав"? Может ли состав быть не личным или просто составом или составом каким-либо другим?
- 4,252
4
votes
8
answers
668
views
What's the Russian expression for 'Well, duh!"?
Slang used to indicate that a statement is obvious, or that the answer to a question is an obvious "yes" — often in a derisive or sarcastic way.
"Physics is really hard." "...
6
votes
2
answers
575
views
Is there a possessive form of "мы с тобой" / "мы с вами"?
Since childhood, I've always wished there was a distinction between "we" exclusive (me and the others) and "we" inclusive (me and you (and others, optionally)). Russian to the ...
- 63
2
votes
1
answer
196
views
Etymology of -ова in Russian surnames
How should the suffix of feminine surnames, e.g. Морозова, be considered from an etymological perspective?
Are -ов and -а etymologically distinct morphemes or parts of a single one?
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-1
votes
1
answer
113
views
What's the deal with this tattoo? [closed]
I saw the following picture: Link
As I see it, the text in the tattoo says:
в воду нечего бояться дождя
This seems odd to me. "Бояться дождя" definitely means "to be afraid of rain,&...
- 257
-1
votes
1
answer
137
views
Is кучу времени a fixed phrase?
I came across the sentence: Мы и так ждали кучу времени
Why is it кучу instead of куча?
- 275
1
vote
3
answers
283
views
How do you say "X is my only friend"?
How do you say "X is my only friend" in Russian?
For example:
Alcohol is my only friend.
Google translate uses the word единственные, but when I try to find example sentences containing ...
- 325
4
votes
3
answers
363
views
Can you still pronounce “щ” as “ш + ч”?
I know that pronouncing “щ” as “ш + ч” is outdated, but can I still pronounce it like that? Will people understand me?
- 41
1
vote
1
answer
137
views
How do you reply to an email expressing you agree?
I received the following email response to a request I had made:
Здравствуй! Я тьютор тьюторской службы университета. Мы получили твою заявку
на тьюториал, но, к сожалению, сейчас мы не проводим ...
- 396
-1
votes
1
answer
164
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 ...
user17522
2
votes
3
answers
333
views
Russian version of "When All You Have Is A Hammer, Everything Looks Like A Nail"
What would be the Russian equivalent of "When All You Have Is A Hammer, Everything Looks Like A Nail", or an idiom of a similar sentiment?
Edit: This idiom means that if you only have one ...
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-3
votes
1
answer
229
views
Произношение йэ, йы
Почему в произношении буква 'е' слышится скорее как йы, а не как йэ? Или это только я так слышу?
Йысть/Йэсть (Есть),
Йыль/Йэль (Ель)
Добавляю запись с обеими вариантами произношения
dropbox
4
votes
3
answers
173
views
Why is the verb сниться governed by the object?
Ты мне снишься каждую ночь.
I get that ты is the subject, but to my English-speaking mind, the person dreaming is the one performing the action, and so the person dreamt about should be the object.
...
- 275
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 ...
- 325
1
vote
1
answer
175
views
Why is it нас миллиарды, not мы миллиарды?
In the following sentence:
Нас миллиарды на земле.
Source: https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/30984756
Why is this accusative or genitive, not nominative? The sentence is translated into English &...
- 1,157
6
votes
2
answers
436
views
Повторение короткого слова/частицы дважды подряд ("вот он он" и т.п.)
Недавно при разговоре с одним моим знакомым я заметил, что он изредка в своей речи повторяет некоторые короткие слова дважды, причём такое повторение не звучит неправильно, а, наоборот, даже как-то ...
- 161
2
votes
1
answer
120
views
when to use adjective and noun versus noun and a genitive noun
I tried to form the English sentence "he is public enemy number one" and came up with «Он общественный враг номер один», but google prefers «Он враг общества номер один», which to me means ...
- 23