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Most accurate translation of "daydream"

Here's one of the most meaningful visualisations of what the word daydream is about, a scene from 500 Days of Summer. I'm wondering how would I translate daydream into russian. I believe сон наяву could be the closest option, but it just doesn't…
WhatHiFi
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Meaning of the word Сафир(ъ) in this passage?

I'd like to find out what the word Сафиръ means in this passage from an old textbook. I cannot find this word in any dictionary. I think it might mean "ambassador", but I'm not sure. From Pietro Motti's Elementary Russian grammar, 2nd ed., 1901, p.…
Flounderer
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Voiceless consonants at the end of words

I've heard words whose endings contain voiced consonants such as год (and others that I cannot remember off the top of my head), and these consonants are pronounced unvoiced (e.g., "гот"). Another letter I've heard is Б as П. Perhaps this applies to…
casey
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"Расстояние", "дистанция", "дальность", "даль" - which one to use

In phrase "The distance from Moscow to Kazan is 500 miles" which word is the most appropriate for translating "distance" - "расстояние", "дистанция", "дальность", or "даль"?
Tony
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4 answers

Word of respect

As I understand it, вы-words are used to show respect. They're used when speaking to elders, teachers, officials, and so on. I understand that ты-words are used when speaking to friends, family, animals, and people who are deemed disreputable. So…
Навозник
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«годовая» экспедиция and "year" adjectives

In conjunction with the recent Союз ТМА-18М mission there have been references to the «годовая» экпедиция of Scott Kelly and Михаил Корниенко, who spent 340 days in space. My understanding of Russian "year" adjectives is: ежего́дный = annual,…
ghostarbeiter
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How to translate "сваргань" from the song "Диалог у телевизора"

The following lyrics are taken from "Диалог у телевизора". My understanding is that the woman talking to Вань wants him to buy her this shirt that she saw; so, сваргань would be referring to this shirt. This word сваргань seems to be related to the…
JMP
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"летящий" versus "летающий"

I have always considered летающий the derived adjective/active participle of летать. However, today I came across the following passage: В него попал какой-то летящий обломок. He was pelted by some piece of flying debris. Are they in fact…
CocoPop
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How to say that you have a blog in Russian?

I have a slovar and I have asked people I know but I get all kind of answers. How to say in Russian: "I have a blog".
Ева
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Uses for «для чего» and «зачем»? And uses for «зачем» and «почему»?

From what I understand «зачем» means "for what purpose", and trying to distinguish between that and «для чего» doesn't translate well. Additionally, how does «зачем» compare with «почему»?
Christina Leuci
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"И" versus "Й" in Russian

What is the difference in pronunciation between "и" and "й"? They sound very similar and I can't really hear a difference.
Morella Almånd
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Difference between "(у)видать" and "(у)видеть"

I've seen увидал used where one would use увидел. Is there any difference in meaning, or perhaps register? Когда он увидал фото, он просто сломался.
CocoPop
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Why на почте rather than в почте?

My understanding is that на is used to describe an open space or a space with indistinct boundaries. Clearly that does not describe почта. Is there reason why на is used here or is it an isolated exception?
aestrivex
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What are the origins of the чу/щу rule?

Whenever I see a quotation from the medieval chronicles (or even later sources like the time of Tsar Alexey), ч is followed by ю every single time. When and how did the rule change?
Alexey
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What is the grammatical meaning of ")"?

thanks in advance for your answers! I have come across ")" in many Russian written conversations, for example: <<Вид из окна на кухне)>> or <<Посмотри лучше это)>> I have even seen "))" or ")))" in forums. Is this the equivalent of an exclamation…
Christina Leuci
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