(no subject)

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

I just finished reading a short story someone wrote online (it was recommended to me by a Ukranian friend of mine, just for a bit of reading). Some questions are "I can't read this," so here's the link to better guide all of us: http://www.livejournal.com/users/tulacal/51727.html

Of course, reading raises questions :)



Some phrases to translate into comprehensible English, because I'm sure not getting it...

For the word приходиться - I know it means "to happen, to occur upon someone," but I try to translate it into English in the context of the sentence to no avail. For example - Мне приходится писать в блокноте слова. = It occured that I had to write words in a notebook (???)

А всё от того

Терпению меня научила... I always thought учить would be.. учить что-либо (acc.) кому-либо. Why is this opposite?

В семейной жизни с такими чертами очень легко.

What is this "Бури в Пустыне" mentioned?

Ждать днями. - If one were to "wait for days," wouldn't it just be in the accusative "ждать дни?"

Важнее, чем выбор оружия - I was under the impression that if it wasn't followed by a verb or a preposition, you don't use чем, just the genitive.

"Я нашёл способ узнать номер апартаментов - в обойме глогга стало на один патрон меньше" - I read it, and I still don't know how he found out the number to the apartment.

"Я смотрел на эти четыре светящихся окна" - He says "эти" as if they were definite and mentioned before, but he didn't. I don't... understand this part, and why those four windows had to go out (isn't it one room - one window?)

Расслабиться can also mean to relax? Or just weaken?

Не меня позы и не закрывая глаза. - Not closing my eyes, I stood still?

In the second note that he writes, why is кричать in the imperfective and убежать in the perfective?

In the fourth note, I... can't read what it says. Не бруйся?

Доставка будет сделана... isn't every adjective supposed to be in the instrumental when dealing with the future?

"Спутился вниз и вышел из здания, совершенно не замеченный кучкой раздосадованных служащих, которые искали консьержа" - Does this mean he killed both the concierge and a whole messload of other employees?

Now after such a story, I thought the ending was going to be something riveting. Apparently, it seems so otherwise. But the last sentence, when he's standing behind her while she's reading the note, is he about to kill her? I'm trying to make sense out of this. Because the note is also like, if taken literally, "Well that's kind of anti-climatic." Ya know?

Thanks so much for all your help!


Random Question: For all the times I've used потому что, I never knew what kind of sign goes in the middle. Is it потому-что, потому, что, or just потому что?

Comments

[padruka1988.livejournal.com]

Grammatically correct: потому, что

Я пошла спать потому, что устала.

But when you pronounce it, there is no pause (like when you read that sentence, you pause between "it" and "there").

[mricon.livejournal.com]

I recall being taught in school that both "потому, что" and ", потому что" are acceptable:

Я пошла спать потому, что устала.
Я пошла спать, потому что устала.

At least, that's according to our teacher of Russian Language and Literature, and she was generally a grammar nazi.

[mricon.livejournal.com]

For the word приходиться - I know it means "to happen, to occur upon someone," but I try to translate it into English in the context of the sentence to no avail. For example - Мне приходится писать в блокноте слова. = It occured that I had to write words in a notebook (???)

мне приходится -- I have to

Мне приходится писать в блокноте слова. -- I have to write words in my notebook.

[padruka1988.livejournal.com]

Really? My grammar nazi insists that I put the comma in between them. But she's an engineer (she's Russian, but not a certified teacher...), so maybe she isn't aware of this.

[mricon.livejournal.com]

I should specify -- this has the connotation of obligation.

Мне приходилось питаться одними сухарями. -- I had (no other option but) to eat dried bread.
Временами, Петру приходилось выходить наружу подышать свежим воздухом. -- From time to time, Petr had to go outside for a breath of fresh air.

This is only the case for "dative subject/pronoun + приходиться". It still stems from the meaning of "to occur", as in "from time to time, it occurred to Petr to go outside...", but in this construct it has a meaning of "being obliged to do something" or even "having to do something due to the lack of other options." In uses where the subject is not dative, e.g. "полнолуние приходилось как раз на Новый Год", there is no connotation of obligation, it just states the fact of occurrance.

[zhp.livejournal.com]

the most common, neutral way is to put the comma before потому. Потому, что is also acceptable, but you say it differently, you sort of emphasise потому and the whole "cause-and-effect" thing.

[mricon.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a FAQ (http://www.livejournal.com/community/pishu_pravilno/1090565.html) in pishu_pravilno. Both uses are correct, depends largely on whether you intend to use the intonation to stress the result, or the conditional.

Я пошла спать потому, что устала -- stresses the fact that you were tired
Я пошла спать, потому что услала -- stresses the fact that you went to bed

[irishotel.livejournal.com]

mmm.. here ->
Я пошла спать потому, что устала.
Я пошла спать, потому что устала.
the right one is the second phrase!
Comma in between should be put in something like
Я пошла спать не только потому, что устала.

[malaya-zemlya.livejournal.com]

1. "учить что-либо (acc.) кому-либо" is incorrect
it is учить кого-то чему-то. that is the student is in accusative, the information taught is in dative.

2.What is this "Бури в Пустыне" mentioned?
Operation Desert Storm (in genitive case). The guy is supposed to be an ex-marine or something.

3.Ждать днями. - If one were to "wait for days," wouldn't it just be in the accusative "ждать дни?"
For now al I can tell you that "днями" sound much better here. In fact "ждал дни" sounds plainly wrong (but "ждал годы" is ok). Hmmm.. I have to think about it...

4.Важнее, чем выбор оружия - I was under the impression that if it wasn't followed by a verb or a preposition, you don't use чем, just the genitive.

"Важнее выбора оружия" is grammatically ok too, but in the first case there's more stress on "Важнее", because it's separated from the rest of the sentence.

5."Я нашёл способ узнать номер апартаментов - в обойме глогга стало на один патрон меньше" - I read it, and I still don't know how he found out the number to the apartment.
He killed the consierge and took his journal. It's right in the text that follows: Я взял журнал и нашел номер. ... Консьержа пришлось хорошенько спрятать.

6."Я смотрел на эти четыре светящихся окна" - He says "эти" as if they were definite and mentioned before, but he didn't. I don't... understand this part, and why those four windows had to go out (isn't it one room - one window?)
The protagonist did know what the windows were because he figured out what apartment his victim was living in. The story is written as if the reader is right there along with the killer, so the windows should be know to him/her as well. Something like that. It's a literary device.

7.Расслабиться can also mean to relax? Or just weaken?
Yes, it means to relax. To weaken (somebody) is ослабить

8.Не меня позы и не закрывая глаза. - Not closing my eyes, I stood still?
Without changing my position and closing my eyes (these are both adverbial participles). The participle is really modifying the previous sentences (Я ждал), but the text is intentionally written in a choppy way. Like this. Because it's cool.

9.why is кричать in the imperfective and убежать in the perfective
Because screaming is continuous action, while running away is a one off action. Now you are here, now you are not. убегать (imperfective) is to be in a process of running away, but that's not what the guy might try to do, merely being in the process is not good enough in his situation :) Не пытайтесь убегать is sort of ok, but it sounds more like "don't make _repeated_ attempts to escape"


10.Доставка будет сделана (в следующий четверг). isn't every adjective supposed to be in the instrumental when dealing with the future?
I am not sure what are you referring to. cделана is a passive of сделать, not really an adjective.
The sentence means "The delivery will be made next Tursday. "

11.Спутился вниз и вышел из здания, совершенно не замеченный кучкой раздосадованных служащих, которые искали консьержа
Other people were busy looking for the dead consierge, so they didn't notice the killer. In _this_ sentence noone got hurt.

12.Не бруйся?
Не торгуйся = Do not bargain.


13. Now after such a story, I thought the ending was going to be something riveting. Apparently, it seems so otherwise. But the last sentence, when he's standing behind her while she's reading the note, is he about to kill her? I'm trying to make sense out of this. Because the note is also like, if taken literally, "Well that's kind of anti-climatic." Ya know?

Yes, he did kill his wife, which sort of follows from the text. It's also mentioned in the comments 8^0

Btw, the writer has a few grammatical mistakes and typos (this is just a Livejournal post, not a book, after all), so double check with your dictionary :)

mmmmm... hard-boiled trash....

unanswered stuff...

[yms.livejournal.com]

Терпению меня научила невозможность говорить.

Inability to speak taught me tolerance.
Учить кого-то (acc) чему-то (dat) = to teach somebody something.
Учить что-то = to learn (or study).

А всё от того = And all this is because of...

В семейной жизни с такими чертами очень легко.

Such traits make domestic/family life very easy.
(meaning relations)
literally: It is very easy in family life with such traits.

Не меня позы

не меняя; the rest was answered.

[oryx_and_crake]

What a beautifully trashy story!
:-)

P.S. In "потому что" normally there is no comma in the middle, unless it is absolutely required by the context.

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

:)))))

Well, compared to the only other literature I've been reading (Иван-Царевич, Василиса Прекрасная, Снегурочка, и т.д.), this was a wonderfully new and real and dark story.

[oryx_and_crake]

In Vasilisa, lots of people die, too. Dark enough for me :-)

I don't think this story is particularly real. Same story about Baba-Yaga eating people for no reason whatsoever, just located in present time instead of past. I was not even able to say which country, though. Maybe it is a kind of parallel universe that the SF writers like.
The story's advantage (and disadvantage) is in the fact that the author's vocabulary is quite poor, and his imagination even poorer. This makes the story easier to read.

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

Hm... but aren't passive participles used for the same reason as adjectives? To describe something? I mean, I thought it would have been доставка будет сделаной, but hm... so passive doesn't undergo the instrumental?

And... gaaah! I... didn't get the killing the wife thing... and I don't know what comments you're talking about... I feel as if I should be wearing a "dunce" hat right now...

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

Well, right. The "real" meaning present time. Meh, anywho...

No wonder I got through it so quickly. I felt proud of myself for a second.

[oryx_and_crake]

No, please, don't be disappointed. The problem with Vasilisa and stuff is that it is written in somewhat obsolete Russian, which is fine, but difficult to read. Most modern fiction, crime and romance books are written in a much simpler language. You can try some other stories with a better plot, to make your reading fun.

[oryx_and_crake]

Try this story, it is funny and happens in the USA which might help your understanding.
http://www.lib.ru/DOWLATOW/inostranka.txt

[malaya-zemlya.livejournal.com]

:Hm... but aren't passive participles used for the same reason as adjectives? To describe something?

That's a pretty general approach you have got there. I thought most words are used to describe something :)

Anyhow, passive and adjective are similar categories but not identical. Passive voice means specifically that the subject is an undergoer of an action. This is one place where the difference shows up.

Sometimes you can use either form
Карфаген должен быть разрушен
Карфаген должен быть разрушенным - Carthage must be Destroyed

but even here there's a subtle difference in meaning:

"Карфаген должен быть разрушен" means somebody -- Roman army -- has to go and destroy Carthage. It also implies that it is not destroyed at the time of speech (150 BC or so :)

"Карфаген должен быть разрушенным" only means that Carthage should be in ruins. If it already is then it simply should be kept that way -- action is not absolutely necessary. See the difference?

Btw, note you've got a single "н" in the former case and a double "нн" in the latter. This is a common source of mistakes.

:And... gaaah! I... didn't get the killing the wife thing... and I don't know what comments you're talking about... I feel as if I should be wearing a "dunce" hat right now...

Don't feel too bad. Some native readers didn't get it either. That's why there was a bit discussion in comments.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/tulacal/51727.html?thread=706831#t706831
Since it's a bit slangy I'll translate it for you

klaran:
с ума сдуреть
а кровяка откуда на последней записке, неужели у жены кровь всего-навсего носом пошла?

crazy go nuts!
btw, where does the blood on the last note come from, Did his wife simply have a nosebleed?

tulacal:
Всего-навсего носом. И немножко ротом. И совсем маленечко шеей

Yes, simply a nosebleed. And a bit of a mouthbleed. And then a little tiny bit of a neckbleed.

[malaya-zemlya.livejournal.com]

If you want to check out real hardcore trash try

http://imperium.lenin.ru/EOWN/eown7/vorobiev/

These are written in very modern and very authentic Russian. It's a series of trash parodies written by a famous "counter-culture" author Kirill Vorobyov (aka Bayan Shiryanov).
Be warned, they are choke-full of criminal slang, but you can't have hardcore criminals without hardcore slang, can you? :)

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

Heh heh, naw I'm not disappointed. :P Didn't mean to worry you. I actually get more disappointed reading Vasilisa and taking forever trying to translate every other word.

And WHOA. I don't know if you know this or not, by my level of Russian only goes so far. I usually like putting text into MS Word to read them better, but 63 pages of Russian!? I'll read a chapter a day, but damn. :) Thanks for the link, btw.

[ex-tulacal.livejournal.com]

I assume hard-boiled trash doesn't mean something offensive?
Pity I found this cute conversation months late.

[ex-tulacal.livejournal.com]

Really cool translation. I mean it.

[ex-tulacal.livejournal.com]

Oh! This is not the darkest one I wrote I should say.)
Unfortunately I lost pictures to this post and without pictures it means nothing...

[ex-tulacal.livejournal.com]

Hope not so poor. Come and read me. If you'll keep thinking my imagination is poor you'll be my best friend forever.))

[malaya-zemlya.livejournal.com]

Oh, no. It's not an insult. Just a genre label: Mickey Spilane, Sidney Sheldon, Dashiell Hammett, Quentin Tarantino - that sort of a thing. Tough guys, dangerous women, blood and violence.