(no subject)

[upthera44.livejournal.com]

I've got a few assorted conversational questions...

Is it normal and polite to use the phrase Вы откуда? Are there any good alternatives to this that mean "Where are you from" other than где вы живёте? (By the way, I picked up this phrase from the movie "Everything is Illuminated" when Alex first meets the old woman in Tranchembrod)

What is the best word for "hobby"? For example, Russian language is my favorite hobby. Is the word увлечение used often in this context? If not, in what context is увлечение used?

Is the most common Russian verb "to lie" лгать? If not, what is? Examples of use would be appreciated.

Comments

[trepang.livejournal.com]

1. Откуда вы родом? / Откуда вы приехали? (if you know a person you address really has come from some other place)

2. There's a borrowing: хобби. It's absolutely normal to use it.

3. The most common colloquial verb is врать. (Не ври! - Don't lie!) Also, there are slang verbs like гнать, заливать, and some expressions such as пудрить мозги, вешать лапшу на уши etc.

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

Where are you from - Откуда Вы?
hobby - хобби
to lie - врать, лгать, обманывать

[whitest-owl.livejournal.com]

- yes, it is normal, polite question.
"Вы откуда?" is not intechangable with "Где вы живете?" - it is not a level of politness it just two different questions:
Вы откуда? == Where are you from? From what city or country did you come here?
Где вы живете? == Where do you live? Right now?

- Hobby is just хобби :) "Мое любимое хобби - русский язык"
You can use "увлечение" too, it just a more general word. It can be used as hobby or сollectibles.

- лгать, врать, обманывать, говорить неправду.
Complete synonymes.

[la-dy-ashley.livejournal.com]

just be careful with the prepositions and cases with the verbs ¨to lie¨:

лгать/врать кому-то (дательный - dative)
обманывать кого-то (винительный - accusative)

[dyvo.livejournal.com]

обманывать - is rather "to fool", not "to lie"
Thus, врать, лгать - to lie; обманывать - to fool

[jojoza.livejournal.com]

>Is the most common Russian verb "to lie" лгать?
Take dictionary and USE IT!

[upthera44.livejournal.com]

The dictionary often doesn't tell you what the most common way to say something is. I'd rather not go around saying the Russian equivalent of "to prevaricate" if I can help it. Are my questions to elementary for you?

[upthera44.livejournal.com]

*too

[coldmacana.livejournal.com]

Nope. Wholly legitimate. That's just some cranky poster IMHO.

Also, just to build on the explanation of обманывать, it seems to be more broadly used: deceive/cheat/trick/swindle (as well as seduce/be unfaithful its seems -- never realized that before I checked Lingvo just now). To my English ears, this helps with difference in case usage between лгать and обманывать: You lie to someone (dative) vs. You deceive/cheat someone (accusative). Is there any sort of underlying transcultural reason for this? Probably not -- but if it helps me keep my cases straight, I'll take it!

[oryx_and_crake]

Please be civil to other people in the community. (Either help the people or get out; there will be no flame and personal insults here.)

[misino.livejournal.com]

You can use the word увлечение meaning "love" "flame" ( about a person)

[branwen.livejournal.com]

Is that like saying in English that someone is your "interest", that you're interested in someone?

[oryx_and_crake]

Yes
Я интересуюсь/увлекаюсь шахматами/историей.
История/шахматы - мое увлечение/хобби.

[ceiteach.livejournal.com]

+1

To me it's more natural to ask чем увлекаетесь? than какое у вас хобби?

As for interest in someone, one can say "Оля/Петя - его/её новое увлечение" meaning now he/she has a new girlfriend/boyfriend

[branwen.livejournal.com]

And in English you can say "She/he has a new love interest". Although it's not used nearly as much as boyfriend/girlfriend.

[ceiteach.livejournal.com]

The same for Russian - увлечение in this meaning is not used too often.

[misino.livejournal.com]

Only in amorous context.

[branwen.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's the same in English. Saying you're 'interested' in someone means romantically interested, and you can't say it meaning friendship. *shrugs*