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[upthera44.livejournal.com]

 What's the difference between наконец and наконец-то? I've only ever heard or read наконец-то used (never without the "то" at the end).

Comments

[ipodg730.livejournal.com]

Наконец-то! - At last! Finally!
For example, you are waiting for somebody he/she who is late. Finally he/she appears, so you can say:
Наконец-то ты пришел/пришла! — Here you are at last!

[crimeanelf.livejournal.com]

As for its meaning, it is the emotional emphasis: наконец-то is "fiiiiiiiinally we got it!!!"

Grammatically, it is a trail of the definite article "the", which was never uses in written Russian, but long ago existed in spoken Russian. So grammatically наконец-то is "THE finally". Look for details here (http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BB%D1%8C#.D0.9E.D0.BF.D1.80.D0.B5.D0.B4.D0.B5.D0.BB.D1.91.D0.BD.D0.BD.D1.8B.D0.B5_.D0.B0.D1.80.D1.82.D0.B8.D0.BA.D0.BB.D0.B8_.D0.B2_.D1.80.D1.83.D1.81.D1.81.D0.BA.D0.B8.D1.85_.D0.B4.D0.B8.D0.B0.D0.BB.D0.B5.D0.BA.D1.82.D0.B0.D1.85).

[crimeanelf.livejournal.com]

Ah, and наконец is as valid as наконец-то, but carries less emotions. Of course, in everyday speech you more often would use the word "finally" in emotional context, which is the same as the use of наконец-то more often in everyday speech. :)

[upthera44.livejournal.com]

Ok, thanks!

[zhp.livejournal.com]

There is also a slight difference in meaning. You can use наконец to enumerate ideas (for example,in an essay): во-первых, во-вторых, ... наконец, ...
You can't use наконец-то in this way.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Just a few examples, so that you could see the difference in usage:

- Я пришёл. - Наконец-то! Где тебя носило?
(I'm here. - At last! Where have you been?)

- Наконец-то я дома.
(At last, I'm home!)

- Папа, когда мы уже наконец приедем?
(Daddy, when will we finally come there?)

- Я ждал три месяца и, наконец, дождался.
(I've been waiting [for that to happen] for three months, and finally it's happening)

[cxielamiko.livejournal.com]

When you describe a nature, you use наконец: "Наконец кончилось зимнее веселье, пригрело солнышко и первые ручьи заструились, переливаясь всеми оттенками радуги". Наконец-то - when any man has done something hardly.