(no subject)

[moonbathe.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone, I'm currently in an intensive language program right now, where I'm not allowed to speak english at all. This has been really difficult - I never realized how many things I simply don't know how to say, and that are near impossible to look up in a dictionary!

for example, when you're in the bathroom and someone knocks what do you say? someone told me to say "busy" занята (or занятo? I'm female but I'm not sure what the word is supposed to relate to) - is this correct?

also, how do you say "catchy"? as in, "that song is really catchy!" and "especially" as in "I like those flowers, especially the blue ones."? (mostly, I want to know for "especially" which case would follow...)

there are so many other words I'm at loss for throughout the day, I really should write them down and post a list.

What phrases do you use very often throughout the day? what are words you think probably wouldn't be taught that are vital to getting by in Russia? (not necessarily swear words..haha.) How about frequently mentioned cultural references?

and most importantly of all - in Russian is there an equivalent to the word "like" in english? not the literal translation, but a word people say EXTREMELY often, when thinking or in colloquial speech. maybe так or как?

sorry this is so much to ask but I would greatly appreciate your help.

Comments

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

1. Занято! (stress on A) -- as in [это место] занято
2. No direct translation; very colloquially, it's something like цепляет (песня цепляет).
3. Especially = особенно.
4. In very colloquial speech, it's как бы / типа / ну, это :) ("I'm, like, wow, and he's, like, gotcha" -- Я, как бы, ой, а он, типа, ага!) :))

[alex-rex.livejournal.com]

First is simple: we are talking about some place. Здесь занято. Leave only занято.
Second. Catchy. Well, I'll say about song: эта песня особенная. Well, about flowers there will be the same word, but it means something slighty different: Мне нравятся эти цветы, особенно вот эти голубые. In this sentence we are talking about superlative comparison. Well, you like all of these flowers, but the blue ones are the best. Coming to a song — you're not like all songs, but this one has a, well, zest.

[oryx_and_crake]

as to #2, I would say прилипчивый мотив

[elwen-tindomiel.livejournal.com]

I would rather say "Эта песня привязывается" than "цепляет", though the meaning is the same.

As for "like" - give an example please, what do you mean exactly?

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

That'd be more old-school and corny, but yes, people did say so.

[mithrilian.livejournal.com]

I think she's talking about the parasite words... you know, like, "you know" and "like" ^)

[nick-spender.livejournal.com]

About "like", if you are talking about something like "I'm, like, "No way!
", and she's like "Shut up!"", I believe you better not use any equivalent, cause all of them aren't sounds pretty enought). It will be appropriate to use in a informal group of young people, though. It something like "Такой" or "Такая".
Я, такой, "Не может быть!", а она, такая, "Заткнись!".

Again, well-educated people doesn't use no "like equivalent"

[oryx_and_crake]

эта песня особенная does not mean "catchy" at all

[oksanaya.livejournal.com]

I think as "like" Russians usually say "ну" (literally "well").

[lihoradka-bambi.livejournal.com]

about song - привязчивая or прилипчивая or приставучая песенка. Эта песня постоянно крутится (or застряла) у меня в голове, не могу от неё избавиться.

[nick-spender.livejournal.com]

You're right - "ну" is russian for "well". But not for "like"

[khathi.livejournal.com]

Hey, "especially" is an adverb, and adverbs do not take cases -- even in Russian! ;) For note, it's "особенно". And if you really like to sound like a Valley Girl, you may go by dropping "типа" and "как бы" rigt and leaft, but I don't think that such verbal garbage is worthy of learning it consciously -- it gathers up all by itself quickly enough, please-and-thank-you. Ah, and just get yourself a good phrasebook -- the kind that tourists get.

[khathi.livejournal.com]

You know, like a Valley Girl slang, Like "And then I was like.." -- well, you'll get the picture. ;)

[khathi.livejournal.com]

"Like" analogues are "типа" or "такой/такая".

[elwen-tindomiel.livejournal.com]

haha, then this really would be
И тут я ей, такой, говорю "Заткнись!"
А она, такая, типа, "Сам дурак!" XD

[nick-spender.livejournal.com]

Yep. But it more like "типа такой", "типа такая"

[4px.livejournal.com]

ну, там, типа таво!

[zhulia.livejournal.com]

о ужас.. Автору - пожалуйста, запомните это, чтобы понимать. Но, пожалуйста, не говорите так! Very bad Russian!

[4px.livejournal.com]

i know :) but all «типа такой» here are the same

[paintmylover.livejournal.com]

Going off of this initial post, I've always wondered why I hear a lot of Russians say так so often. I've always taken it to mean "so" when it's used in between sentences or thoughts, but I was never quite sure. The only comment my Russian professor made about using it, was that it was a very bad habit he's gained (after mastering Russian as a native English speaker) =)

[taurvat.livejournal.com]

1. "Занято" also means "occupied". (both "to be busy" and "to be occupied" are expressed by "быть занятым", there are several accent issues, but those are too advanced, I suppose)
2. "This song is catchy" I would translate as "Эта песня цепляет". The adverb is transformed to verb here, but the meaning is best translated this way, I think.
3. "especially" - "особенно"
4. "like" = "типа". Like in "He's like... dumb" would be "Ну он типа... тупой". Never use this in literary style.

[taurvat.livejournal.com]

You don't hear Russians saying "так" very often here in Russia. So it seems like it's really sort of bad habit a fluent English speakers get.

[spiritrc.livejournal.com]

I don't think that "прилипчивый" and "цепляет" are from different times.
I'd say that "прилипчивый" is something that you keep humming, possibly even hating the tune, while "цепляющий" is something that you actually like ("цепляет за душу"). So "catchy" IMO is more like "прилипчивый".

[spiritrc.livejournal.com]

I believe we just don't hear how often we say 'так'. 'Так' was one of my 1-year old son's first words although I also don't think I say it too often. :)
We say 'так-так-так', '(не) делай так', 'так что', et al., etc.
A non-native speaker or a child that doesn't know the language yet will definitely
hear that repeating 'так' as one of the most used words.

[moonbathe.livejournal.com]

I've never heard "типа" before except to mean...type? but everyone here seems to be mentioning it as a common "like"-ish word. how weird! although it's not as if saying "like" so often makes sense when the meaning is analyzed. haha. thanks so much for your help. :)

[moonbathe.livejournal.com]

Мне нравятся эти цветы, особенно вот эти голубые.
I never would have thought to use вот in this sentence. sometimes, I find that Russians use a lot of words more often than I would think to use, and I mean the "smaller" ones like вот and так..it's interesting. thank you for your help. :D

[moonbathe.livejournal.com]

haha. XD thank you! seriously, if I heard someone say that I would only understand a few of the words. XD but! this brings me to another question - what exactly is the difference between И and А?? I never understood..

[moonbathe.livejournal.com]

haha, thank you. :) yep, I only wanted to know because I have taught foreign students english before, and when they come to america they are always very confused about the word "like" and how often they hear it! I don't plan on saying that because I try not to say "like", but I was just curious. :P

[moonbathe.livejournal.com]

thanks! haha. <3 I only asked because I really want to understand colloquial expressions and slang, not just perfect Russian (if I'll ever even manage to understand proper Russian that is!)

[moonbathe.livejournal.com]

yeah, I hear Russians say "так" pretty often!

[moonbathe.livejournal.com]

тупой, I'm guessing has a stronger meaning than глупый?

[elwen-tindomiel.livejournal.com]

I would say that usually "a" stands for a juxtaposition, right in this case it's more like a contradiction because the girl accused the boy in response, so he points it out.
So you can use "и" in any case you wish while "a" is a conjunction with a particular use.

You can find some more information here (http://www.traktat.com/language/book/soyus/sso.php) or here (http://www.hi-edu.ru/e-books/xbook089/01/index.html?part-040.htm), for example.

[elwen-tindomiel.livejournal.com]

exactly

[taurvat.livejournal.com]

Well, much like a difference between "stupid" and "dumb".

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

OK. In my times, the word was different (заело, заедает), so I trust you :)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Maybe they're Ukrainians? ;-) In Ukrainian, так means "yes".

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

"Типа", ethymologically, means approximately "sort of," if that helps. Well-popularized in "212-85-06", intentedly absurd 1985 song by Aquarium, that era's most influential rock band: "Есть люди типа жив и люди типа помер, / Но нет никого, кто знал бы твой номер..." (comes from an older expression, rooted in the bureaucratic lingo of the 1920-1930s: "туалет типа сортир", "автомобиль типа лимузин" и т.п.).

[alex-rex.livejournal.com]

Yes, sorry, it'll be better to use "прилипчивый". "Особенный" can be, but just in proper context.

[alex-rex.livejournal.com]

"Вот" in this sentence means that you're talking about "just exactly these blue ones". You can point it by finger.
Well, you can easily drop this word, the sentence will be the same.

[riegel.livejournal.com]

we also use "как бы" quite often, the meaning and context is somewhat close to "like", or rather to something between "sort of" and "actually".

[vlad-why.livejournal.com]

or "приставучий".

[wordchick.livejournal.com]

You mean filler words, right? I can't swear that this wasn't a regionalism, but I knew a number of people who would say короче when they were fumbling for words. The full phrase is короче говоря and it means something like "to be brief" or "in short", but it gets abused.

There are a lot of useful phrases that you might not be taught, and that's okay. You will learn them through conversation. Here are two that you might find confusing when listening to native speakers.

Гулять- this literally means "to go for a walk", but also can mean "to hang out/socialize" (with all the implications that go into that phrase...)

получаться/получиться- this is the reflexive form of the verb "получать", which means to receive. In this form, it's closer to "work out, succeed, make sense." My host sister used it when she didn't 'get' her homework.

[wordchick.livejournal.com]

Is this where ПГТ in mailing addresses comes from? And is типа a word by itself? I always assumed it was the genitive form of тип, as in типа того.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

You assumed right: literally, it is "something of the type of..." or "of the sort of..."
Посёлок городского типа definitely comes from the same Soviet-time bureaucratic lingo.