(no subject)

[nikolenka.livejournal.com]

How would one translate the phrase "to have a long way to go," in a figurative sense. As in, "I want to speak Russian proficiently, but I have a long way to go."
Thanks in advance

Comments

[delphin4ik.livejournal.com]

Well, i think that Мне предстоит долгий/сложный путь is ok

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

I would say "но это семь вёрст, и все лесом". It is a bit outdated though; верста is and old measure of length, about 1 kilometer.

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

0.937 km

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Funny, but way too figurative. One can say that much shorter and simpler: мне до этого ещё далеко.

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

Agree, it is an exaggeration.

[oryx_and_crake]

I don't think that's correct. The saying is "семь верст до небес, и все лесом" and means that someone is telling lies (I believe that the English idiom is "to tell tall tales"). The one you probably wanted to use is "мне до ...(e.g. совершенства в русском языке) как до неба".

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

I have never heard the idiom you mentioned (about telling lies).
I first met the one I wrote in a book (naturally) and it meant "a long and difficult road to the goal".

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

Yes, I should have written "мне до... семь вёрст и все лесом".

[platonicus.livejournal.com]

"Мне до этого еще далеко"

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

+1

[russian-bob.livejournal.com]

A little bit more figurative and may be even closer to "long way to go" is "ещё идти и идти".

Я хочу знать русский в-совершенстве, но мне к этому ещё идти и идти.

What do you think?

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

It's not "в-совершенстве", it's "в совершенстве". Those definitions (в совершенстве, в своё время, в полном объёме etc.) are not governed by the "во-первых, в-третьих, в-седьмых" pattern :)

[russian-bob.livejournal.com]

thanks!

[nikolenka.livejournal.com]

thanks again for your responses :)

just curious

[nominals.livejournal.com]

Where are you studying? I'm using the same book.

Re: just curious

[jadore-vin.livejournal.com]

I am studying on my own in Barcelona right now. I bought this (excellent) book at Dom Knigi in St. Petersburg last summer. For anyone interested in picking it up, the ISBN is 5-200-03261-X.

[spiderhood.livejournal.com]

> "I want to speak Russian proficiently, but I have a long way to go."
Хочу в совершенстве овладеть русским, но мне до этого ещё расти и расти.