For the
Kelly Virgínia Phelan Last update:
"To be or not to be, that's the question".– “Hamlet” de William Shakespeare.
"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."– „Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)“ de John Lennon.
"The problem stops here."- Sign on President Harry S. Truman's desk in the Oval Office.
There are numerous examples of thiswell-known and famous proverbs in all languages.Sayings are passed down from generation to generation, recognized for their popularity in the media or pop culture, and sometimes even misused due to misunderstandings or urban legends.
When John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin in 1963, he used the expression"I'm a Berliner(I'm from Berlin) in a speech. Reports of the incident wereexaggerated and embellished into an urban myth, in which he explained that the President mistakenly said, "I'm a donut" and was subsequently mocked by the crowd. He actually announced "I'm a Berliner" in grammatically correct German and was applauded by the audience.
Every Russian has his favorite Russian proverb.Given Russians' fondness for history, art and literature, many famous sayings come from well-known writers, composers and politicians.
However, there are also many funny contemporary quotes, sayings and slogans that you might find funny and useful as you continue your Russian studies.
See this post for an examplethe most interesting, fun and unusual Russian proverbs to add to your arsenal.
Download:This blog post is available as a convenient, portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here for a copy. (Download)
The One Political Quote Every Russian Student Should Know
1.Trust, but verify.
Meaning in English:Trust, but verify.
Trust but verify is an old Russian proverbin English, made famous by the President of the United States, Ronald Reaganin the 1980s
Reagan used the term frequently with Mikhail Gorbachev when discussing nuclear disarmament at the end of the Cold War, leading many people to believe that the term was an American invention. It's actually an old Russian proverb that is still in use and was recently repeated in the popular HBO miniseries.Chernobyl.
Famous quotes from Russian literature
Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekhov and many other Russian authors have provided dozens of famous quotes from their literary works over the centuries. If you are not ready to read classical literature in the original Russian, there are manysimple russian readersto start
Regardless of your knowledge of Russian literature, here are three of the most famous quotes from the greats that you should know:
2. My uncle has the most honest rules.
Literal translation:My uncle is one of the fairest rules.
Meaning in English:My uncle, what a worthy man.
"Eugene Ongin"It is considered a classic of Russian literature. Written by Alexander Pushkin and published in 1833, the novel is written in verse using a rhyme scheme. exista set of famous quotes from the bookwhich are part of everyday Russian speech today, but the first line is possibly the most popular and widely used.
This expression is used to describe a person who believes he is better than others or simply the standard by which others should model his behavior.
Pushkin is an essential name in Russian literary history, so it's worth learning more about his life and work. It would be hard to find a Russian who couldn't recite at least part of one of his poems!
3. I don't want to study, but I want to get married!
Meaning in English:I don't want to study, I want to get married!
Denis Fonvizin was a Russian playwright and is best known for two comedies:"There Brigadier General"j"The newest".A satire on uneducated nobility, "The Lesser" spawned a number of popular sayings that were regularly quoted by other authors, including Alexander Pushkin.
This proverb is used to mock someone who doesn't plan properly and is often used to scold lazy students by teachers.
4. Am I a trembling creature or do I have a right?
Meaning in English:Am I a trembling creature or do I have a right?
After 10 years of exile in Siberia, Fyodor Dostoevsky published"Crime and Punishment,"one of the most outstanding works of universal literature. In the novel, the main character Rodion Raskolnikov asks this question in order to justify the murder of a dishonest loan shark for his money.
This phrase is used to express when someone finally decides to do something they have been dreading for a long time.
If you're looking for a challenge but are a little apprehensive about tackling Crime and Punishment on your own, you might always consider reading the book side-by-side.English and Russian version.
Everyday Russian proverbs about love and happiness
5. Love is bad, you will love a goat.
Literal translation:Love is so cruel you could fall in love with a goat.
Meaning in English:love is blind
Козел is the Russian word for goat, but in slang it is another way of referring to a man unfavorably. As a result, this proverb means that love is so blind that you can fall in love with the wrong person.
6. -No down, no feathers. -To hell!
Literal translation:"No fur, no feathers." "To hell with it!"
Meaning in English:"Very lucky." "Don't curse him!"
Neither puha nor pear sound nearly like onerussian tongue twister, but it's actually a common saying traditionally used by hunters. One hunter would say "Ни пуха, ни пера" to another when embarking on a hunting expedition to wish his friend "good luck". In response, the departing hunter would say "К чёрту!".
It is important that anyone who says "Ни пуха, ни пера" responds with "К чёрту!" otherwise it is considered bad luck.
Russian proverbs about food
If you need to check yourRussian food vocabularyThese phrases can help:
7. An apple does not fall far from an apple tree.
Meaning in English:The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Similar to the English version, this saying suggests that children grow up like their parents.
8. The first pancake is lumpy.
Literal translation:The first pancake is a lump.
Meaning in English:Not bad for a first time. / Practice creates masters.
In Russia, блины are pancakes usually eaten with sour cream, caviar or salmon. When making блины, the первый блин (first pancake) is usually a ком (a lump), as the consistency of the batter may not be exactly right.
These pancakes are usually too big and too thin (similar to French crepes), which tends to make them lumpy in the first place. Hence the origin of this saying.
russian animal kingdom tips
Has muchRussian proverbs with animals, and these two are a great example of that!
9. Make an elephant out of a fly.
Literal translation:Make an elephant out of a fly.
Meaning in English:Make a mountain out of a mound.
In other words, when someone takes something small and exaggerates it until it becomes a big problem, this is the expression to express that feeling.
10. Work is not a wolf, it does not run away into the forest.
Literal translation:Work is not a wolf, it does not run away into the forest.
Meaning in English:Don't worry, work is still waiting for you tomorrow.
This quote is from the 1965 film,"Operation 'Y' and Shurik's Other Adventures"(Operation "Y" and The Other Adventures of Shurik). In the film, one of the characters is accused of being lazy because he was unwilling to carry out the construction tasks assigned to him. In response to the accusation, he utters this phrase, reminding that the work will always be there, so there is no rush.
Useful Russian proverbs to help you learn the language
Finally, since this is a language learning blog, there is finally alots of valuable informationthere to direct your studies. Here are two helpful quotes to keep in mind as you continue your Russian studies:
11. Speech is silver, silence is gold.
Literal translation:A word is silver, silence is golden.
Meaning in English:listen and learn / Speaking is easy.
Sure, you need to speak it to learn Russian, but sometimes just listening and absorbing the language helps.
12. You will calm down, you will move on.
Literal translation:The quieter you are, the further you will go.
Meaning in English:Slow and steady wins the race.
Many people aimLearn a language as soon as possible, and there are plenty of resources available if that's your goal. Of course, if you remember the parable of the tortoise and the hare, it was the slow and steady tortoise that finally prevailed!
Armed with these famous Russian sayings and proverbs, not only will you know a little more Russian, but you will also know a little more about Russian culture!
Download:This blog post is available as a convenient, portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here for a copy. (Download)