(no subject)

[studentka-hb.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... was wondering if anyone has any take on translating the following?
В общем-то мне безразлично -- есть он, нет его.
I've got: On the whole it's all the same to me - to have him, not his. Somehow doesn't sound right!
Also, two set phrases (which take the instrumental) and I can't find them anywhere...
1) This book is in great demand
2) We must avoid war at any price
Thank you all!

Comments

[geish-a.livejournal.com]

"есть он, нет его."

whether he exists or not; if he is there or if he is not;

depends on the context.

But your version is not correct (to have him, not his)

I will give you the transaltions of the other 2 phrases later (I don't have the Cyrillic fonts at work), unless someone does it before me.

IMHO

[annyway.livejournal.com]

1. На эту книгу большой спрос.
2. Мы должны избежать войны любой ценой.

[arpad.livejournal.com]

войнЫ или войнУ? У меня что-то интуиция перестала работать с падежами.

[svl.livejournal.com]

Войны, конечно же.

[annyway.livejournal.com]

Ы. Без вариантов: избежать - чего? Непереходный глагол.

something like that

[arpad.livejournal.com]

1)
Эта книга пользуется большим спросом
or
Эта книга популярна
or
На эту книгу большой спрос

2)
Мы должны избежать войну любой ценой
оr
Любой ценой надо избежать войну.

Re: something like that

[svl.livejournal.com]

Nope, Любой ценой надо избежать войн_Ы_.

Ы

[arpad.livejournal.com]

agreed.

[kutsuwamushi.livejournal.com]

есть он, нет его

I don't know the context of this phrase, but perhaps I can help with the last bit.

У меня есть он would mean "I have him", although you would most likely leave out есть unless you really wanted to stress it. Otherwise it would sound weird.

У меня нет его would mean "I don't have him"; нет can be thought of the negative form of есть in this context. The reason why it's нет его instead of нет он is that нет is always used with the genitive when you're negating the existence of something.

[yers.livejournal.com]

У меня есть он would mean "I have him", although you would most likely leave out есть unless you really wanted to stress it. Otherwise it would sound weird.
no.
он у меня would mean "he's at my place".

the sentence means "it's all the same to me whether he's around or not", not "whether I have him or not".

[kutsuwamushi.livejournal.com]

Now, I'm rather confused, as I've always been taught that the "у (genitive)" prepositional phrase is used in most cases where one would express possession: у меня книга, etc.

Where is the difference here?

[yers.livejournal.com]

У is before anything a preposition denoting spatial proximity. Its use in expressing possession is technically figurative, and only came about somewhere at the end of the Middle Ages. So when clashing with older, more deeply rooted usages of у, it loses the fight and the phrase must be reworded for clarity. "Он у меня" in reference to a person (whatever the word order) is the ancient and unshakable equivalent of "il est chez moi", not "il est à moi". "I have him" can be "у меня есть он" only if the tone is that of affectionate languor (as in "Пока у меня есть он, мне ничего не страшно"); the есть is indispensible in this construction. Where it's the possession that must be emphasised, you would say "он мой"; and "whether I have him or not" would be "мой он или нет", or in the colloquial tone of the sentence we are discussing, "мой он, не мой...". The statement made in the sentence is broader and more uncompromising, it means that not only the speaker does not care if "he" is hers or not hers, but also if "he" is around, or away, or never existed.

[noser.livejournal.com]

"В общем-то" is a junk word and should be translated into some English junk words like "actually", or "in fact". :) [NB. "в общем" (on the whole) is not the same thing as "в общем-то"]

Depending on the context:

Actually, I don't care whether he/it's there or not.
...whether I have him/it or not.

[milady-winter.livejournal.com]

How about good old "generally speaking", eh?

[chus.livejournal.com]

I would translate it as follows: "Generally I don't care whether I have him/it or not."