Comrade

[gera.livejournal.com]

I just visited Russia and it so happened that I was on a tour with a group of Americans who visited Russia for the first time (and never studied Russian).
At some point а museum attendant addressed one of them as "Товарищ" ("Товарищ, не опирайтесь на колонну!" - "Comrade, don't lean against the column".)
He asked what "Товарищ" meant and when I translated it to him, he was surprised that the word "comrade" wasn't used instead. He was even more surprised to learn that there is no such word in the Russian language.
Moreoever, the entire group was literally astounded to learn that.

So, just in case some of you still don't know: there is no word "comrade" ("комрад") in Russian. It's товарищ.

Comments

XD

[nexistant.livejournal.com]

One of my friends once said me that english language speakers trying to say "Товарищ" very often says "Тварищ" (from "Тварь" - smth like a "creature").
By the way, word "товарищ" is obsolete too. When somebody uses it everybody knows, that he is joking. It's because of 70 years of socialism here...

Р.$. Sorry for mistakes, English is not my native language.

Re: XD

[taschenrechner.livejournal.com]

So Tovarisch is obsolete? I was just about to ask if it has any other sort of slang meaning nowadays. I know here in China, the Chinese word for "Comrade", "tongzhi" nowadays is a slang term for "homosexual".

Almost off-topic

[oryx_and_crake]

(it's actually Ukrainian, but funny anyway, but I thought it might be useful for understanding the cultural context)

У магазин заходить чоловік та й питає:
- Товарищ, у вас єсть лєзвия для брітви?
- Ні, нема.
Покупець пішов, касирка здивовано запитує продавця:
- А чому ти йому сказав, що нема? Вони ж ось.
- Він мене "товаріщєм" обізвав. Нехай серпом голиться, падлюка!

(A man comes into a shop and asks the shop assistant
- Comrade, ghave you got any razor blades?
- We don't have any, - says the assistant.
The man goes away disappointed, and the cashier lady asks:
- Why did you tell him we did not have any razors? We have plenty available.
- He called me a comrade! He may go and shave himself with a sickle.)

Re: Almost off-topic

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Це ж гарно :)
(a beautiful story, in Ukrainian)

Re: Almost off-topic

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

I heard it in russian as well :)

Re: XD

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

It could be obsolete if a teenager would use it, addressing to his/her mates. When 70+ retired people would use it, it'd be still OK, that's the way they used to call each other for their whole lives, after all.

Re: XD

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

When I was at high-school (3 years ago) and one of my groupmates used it it felt pretty awkward.

Re: XD

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

When I was in the high school (22 years ago now,) It would be also quite strange to hear that word from my classmates -- well, except that at a Komsomol cell meeting :)