4

I'm not asking for a translation because the literal meaning is obvious. Rather, I'm looking for the closest expression that conveys the same meaning and emotions. So:

  • How would I say "This made my day" in Russian?

UPDATE:

In English, when something makes your day, it means that something gives you a sense of fulfillment and joy. It makes you feel that the day is being lived for a purpose — no matter how it ends up.

UPDATE:

One of my favorite Internet resources has some invaluable insights:

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UPDATE:

I think by far my favorite way of saying this in Russian would be:

  • Это лучшее, что случилось со мной сегодня!
CocoPop
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Trident D'Gao
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    Could you please describe the meaning and emotions this expression conveys? And, if possible, provide a Russian phrase with a gap to fill with the expression you're looking for? Thanks! – Quassnoi Oct 20 '20 at 23:16
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    To make someone's day means to do something which causes him to feel that he spent the day well. The word "make" often conveys the idea of putting things in order (to make one's bed) or the achievement of success (I made it!). – David42 Oct 22 '20 at 13:43
  • as requested, a clarification added, thank you @David42 – Trident D'Gao Oct 22 '20 at 17:28
  • @TridentD'Gao: thanks for the update! any chance you could provide a Russian phrase with a gap to fill? This always helps when translating expressions. – Quassnoi Oct 22 '20 at 17:32
  • @Quassnoi a Russian phrase is the essence of the question! I mean, I wish I knew one. And like I said it's not about translating it, but rather finding a matching idiom. – Trident D'Gao Oct 22 '20 at 17:37
  • @TridentD'Gao: I mean a Russian phrase with a gap to fill with the expression you're looking for. Like "go ahead, make my day: ну-ка давай, ___", or something like this. The thing is, such idioms usually do not have one-to-one correspondence between languages, and the particular word choice would depend on the exact usage. – Quassnoi Oct 22 '20 at 17:40
  • @Quassnoi please feel free to edit the question or leave it until I have a chance to work on it better – Trident D'Gao Oct 22 '20 at 17:55

3 Answers3

7

I hate it when people translate it literally, although there's no unique expression, and you are supposed to receive a bunch of answers (according to the context).

My suggestions are:

У меня сразу поднялось настроение. Это меня порадовало.

CocoPop
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V.V.
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6

The correct version is

"(Теперь) День прошел (прожит) не зря".

Example: Благодаря тебе мой день прошел не зря. You just made my day.

gapsf
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0

It can be translated literally. As a representative of the younger generation, I guarantee you people will definitely understand you. It's used quite often in the phrase: "Это сделало мой день". It's definitely more informal in style, and I'd only use it when talking to my friends or someone the same age as me. It can be used in a situation where something funny happened, and no matter what comes next, you'll stay cheerful until the end of the day.

CocoPop
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Tim Prist
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    While this is interesting, I think you should make it more clear that this expression is an example of Runglish. In other words, the young people understand it because they have been exposed to English. To an older person it will appear to be an incomplete thought. There should be one more word at the end, an adjective in the instrumental case to describe the positive aspect of the resulting day. – David42 Oct 22 '20 at 13:55
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    @David42 лично я впервые услышал эту фразу задолго до того как узнал что она является буквальным переводом английской идиомы - и это никак не помешало понять её смысл. Так что никакой это не Рунглиш. – Pavel Mayorov Oct 30 '20 at 08:21
  • @PavelMayorov I don't think the fact that you successfully guessed the meaning proves it is not Runglish. If it were grammatical Russian we should see it in print, but Google Ngram viewer gives no results. Though a web search gives results, they are either discussions like this one, translations from English, or it is used as the title of a posting. It is hard to find a case where it is used on Russian prose. It is clearly slang. It is clearly taken word-for-word from English. I doubt it can be parsed as literary Russian. In my view that makes it Runglish. – David42 Oct 30 '20 at 15:10
  • @Pavel Mayorov Согласен с этим : "лично я впервые услышал эту фразу задолго до того как узнал что она является буквальным переводом английской идиомы - и это никак не помешало понять её смысл." –  Пилум Nov 19 '20 at 08:49