![]() Here are some common hilarious Russian idioms, their literal translations, meanings, and English equivalents. At times, it’s so confusing that there’s no other way to express your frustration but to laugh! So, take a break and let these Russian idioms make you giggle for less stressful reasons. Learning Russian can be quite challenging. When it comes to Russian grammar, you can’t help but laugh at its complex rules and trying to get your head around all those declinations for each case. Speak like a native with these 51 Russian idioms and expressions translated into English. The second challenge is to search for Russian стук-стук (knock-knock) jokes.26.9K Learning Russian stressing you out? “ Don’t rush the horses“, “the first pancake is always a blob”. The first one is to find other examples of wordplay in Russian literature, songs, jokes, etc. Here are two challenges for you so you can pick and choose. So even though there are practically no knock-knock jokes in Russian, there are plenty of opportunities for wordplay. Кок ос (coconut) – как ос (like wasps) – here keep in mind that unstressed “o” in Russian words sounds like “a” Горд а ль (proud, isn’t she?) written just slightly differently becomes гор даль (faraway mountains) Н адо – ед али which can be translated as “if we/they had to, we/they ate it” sounds just like надоед али (we/they annoyed) И та ли я (And am I the same) sounds just like и т алия (and waist) just like Ит алия (Italy) Some more phrases that sound the same, but are written differently and mean very different things: Or take for example this rhyme, familiar to just about every Russian child: Quiz question: Did the host get offended?Īnswer: yes, but Pushkin was quick to explain that his acquaintance did not hear him correctly and, in fact, Pushkin’s one liner was Д ети на пол у, умный леж ит на див ане (Children are on the floor, smart one is laying on a couch).Įssay topic: Do you consider Pushkin’s one-liner a fine стёб? Why or why not? Without skipping a bit, the poet offered this one Bored, the host asked Pushkin to come up with a poetic one-liner. ![]() Now, picture this idyllic scene – Pushkin is in a chair, reading the host is reclining on a couch and the host’s two young children are playing on the floor. You see, Pushkin was visiting an acquaintance. It’s just they never take the “knock-knock” format.įor example, there is a story about Alexander Pushkin (seems like every literary topic starts with this guy). The signs are all over, in classical literature as well as in everyday speech. This is not to say that Russian language is short on clever каламб ур (pun, quibble, wordplay). But in Russian Д орис sounds nothing like дверь. The whole entire joke hinges (pun intended) on the fact that “Doris” sounds just like “Door is”. – Doris locked, that’s why I had to knock Consider translating this joke into Russian: So, here’s the deal – knock-knock jokes are impossible to translate since the vast majority of them is built on wordplay. But it will be nothing compared to the rich knock-knock jokes tradition in the US (what about other countries?) Yet, in all this abundance, you will not find a single knock-knock joke! Ok, you might find one or two (if you do, please share in the comments). Just about every major ethnic group has quite a few totally non-politically correct jokes. There are countless jokes about forest animals, political leaders, historical figures, fiction characters. Indeed, Russians have an impressive catalog of joke categories, from арм янское р адио (Armenian radio) one-liners to elaborate ш утки о том св ете (afterlife jokes lit: jokes about the other world). We cherish our анекд оты (jokes), however бород атые (old lit: bearded) they might be. Speaking of stereotypes, Russians usually view themselves as having a highly-developed ч увство юмора (sense of humor).
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