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7 answers
Do "надо" constructions tend to pair with perfective verbs and if so, why?
I've noticed that constructions with "надо" tend to use a perfective form of a verb. Is there some sort of loose grammar rule dictating this? Or does it just depend on context? For example, can I use either one of the following:
Мне надо помыть…
Lisa Beck
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A Russian translation for "privacy"
How would you translate privacy into Russian?
May I have some privacy?
I care about my privacy.
Philip Seyfi
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Difference between двигается and движется
While studying Russian, I encountered two words which both seem to translate to '(he/she/it) moves' or '(he/she/it) is moving': двигается and движется. Some Internet research (e.g. this page which I can barely read) showed me that they're both…
Glorfindel
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Why are past tense verbs used as imperative at times ("пошел вон", "пошли пообедаем")?
Most of the examples I can think of are imperatives used in an angry tone ("Пошел вон!", "Упал, отжался!") and it seems the past tense is used just to underline that there's no alternative to the action suggested/ordered. The person speaking is so…
ruskie.info
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Why "Гиппократ" but "ипподром"?
Both these words have Greek origin, specifically:
Гиппократ (Hippocrates) comes from ίππος (horse) + κρατώ (I hold) = The one who holds the horses.
Ипподром (horse-race track) comes from ίππος (horse) + δρόμος (road/track).
The word for horse, in…
George
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12
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What distinguishes "Осип" from "Иосиф"?
The man's name Осип is a form of Иосиф. Is it a nickname, a diminutive, a regionalism, or a register change? Would someone named Иосиф potentially also answer to Осип, as with Joseph and Joe?
Aaron Brick
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Meaning of "Что ни день"
This is a comment I saw in a forum. Is it a typo, or does it actually mean something?
Что ни день, то приключение!
CocoPop
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6 answers
Words in Russian of foreign origin
Like any language, Russian has plenty of words of foreign origin. Specifically:
there are lots of words from Latin (most likely, because Latin was wide-spread from old time), e.g. вакуум, диссертация and many other (see this wiki article)
there…
Aleks G
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6 answers
When can one use "нету" instead of "нет"?
I've only read and heard нету in unformal contexts (Or I somehow associate this to kids saying нету as a cool version of нет, but that's just an impression based on a lack of practice of Russian, so I'm sure I'm wrong). Lingvo just says it means…
c.p.
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Why does скучать mean both "to be bored" and "to miss"
I was writing a letter to a friend where I said "скучаю тебя" (to mean "I miss you"). But then I remembered that "скучать" means "to be bored" and I panicked because I thought I misremembered the verb for "to miss" and was telling my friend that I…
Chill2Macht
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Has заец really become an acceptable spelling?
This is a follow up to the question Has кофе become neutral?
I have read somewhere on the web that it is now acceptable to write заец instead of заяц. Not that I am going to do that, just like I am going to continue to use кофе as masculine. Just…
Dima
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Do the words дорогой (expensive) and дорога (road) have a common origin?
When learning a new language, I'm always looking for similarities between word roots - this helps me in remembering them. When learning Russian, I was surprised by the similarity of the words дорогой (expensive) and дорога (road). Do they have a…
Glorfindel
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What are the different operators like =,<,>,% etc. called (named) in Russian
I made a Google search, but couldn't find any answer. I'd like to know the names of the operators
+, -, x, /, =, <, >, %, {, }, (, ), :, &, etc.
Also I would appreciate links pointing to such symbols if there are any.
jathin
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Declension of "ДНК"
This is potentially a very stupid question: I'm guessing ДНК is pronounced дээнка́. As such, is it treated grammatically as a feminine noun, or is it invariable? In other words, do you say в его дээнке́ , инопланетяне взяли мою дээнку́ , etc?
I ask…
CocoPop
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6 answers
Appropriate term for 'grandparents'?
As far as I can tell, Russian has no word for 'grandparents' the same way as it has Родители, and you are stuck saying Бабушка и дедушка if you're talking about your grandparents.
What if you're saying something like "the country was built by the…
adb
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