Russian Language Blog

Looks like I missed a whole week on the blog. I apologize for that, but I do have a great «оправдание» [excuse]. «Дело в том» [The case is] that I had «операция» [a surgery]. As far as surgeries go, it was a minor one. Still, I am still bed-ridden.

Since I’ve been busy recovering for the last few days, today’s post is all about «оперaция» [surgery] and related things.

Let’s start with the word «операция» itself. Its most general meaning is “operation”. So it can cover surgeries, police actions, military deployments, and bank transactions among its many meanings.

«Пациенту требуется срочная операция»[Patient requires immediate surgery] – this is not something you want to hear from your doctor. Thankfully, my surgery was «запланированная» [planned, scheduled] one although I was given just a couple of days to prepare.

Of course, unlike the other types of operations, «хирургическая операция» [surgical operation] will be done by «хирург» [a surgeon] in «операционная» [an operating room].

«Пациент» [patient] will be given some sort of «анестезия» [anesthesia]. A more commonly used word for «анестезия» is «наркоз». It means the same thing, anesthesia, but shares the root with the word «наркотик» [narcotic]. The specialist who administers anesthesia is «анестезиолог» [anesthesiologist]. Interestingly, «нарколог» is a specialist who treats drug addictions.

Now, this was my first surgery ever and I was thrilled to learn that I’d be getting «общий наркоз» [general anesthesia] that would carry me through the entire procedure. I was, however, surprised to learn that it would be «амбулаторная операция» [out-patient surgery] which meant I’d be sent home that very same day.  I sort of counted on this being «стационарная операция» [in-patient surgery] requiring a short stay at a hospital under constant care of «квалифицированный медицинский персонал» [qualified medical personnel].

As such, I was released home the same day. Luckily, «мои родители» [my parents] were able to help. Actually, my mom helped and my dad mostly entertained me with stories of how he survived «операция по удалению аппендицита» [appendectomy surgery] while «под местным наркозом» [under local anesthesia].

Here’s an interesting medical trivia for you – «Леонид Рогозов» [Leonid Rogozov] was the man who performed emergency appendectomy on himself in 1961. Reading Rogozov’s own account of the procedure made me feel like a total wimp.

Now, if for some reason you end up having a surgery in a Russian hospital, there are a few words and phrases that you will need, such as

«У меня болит…» [My …. hurts] – insert the applicable body part, always keeping it in nominative – «у меня болит голова» [my head hurts], «у меня болит живот» [my stomach hurts], «у меня болит сердце» [my heart hurts].

In case you forget the Russian word for a particular body part, you can always use the universal «здесь» [here] and a pointing gesture – «у меня болит здесь» [it hurts here].

If it hurts when you try to do something, the phrase is

«Мне больно …» [It hurts to…] then add infinitive of the verb as in «мне больно дышать» [it hurts to breath], «мне больно глотать» [it hurts to swallow], «мне больно стоять» [it hurts to stand].

Thankfully, I am not allergic to any drugs. But if you are, make sure your doctor knows right away by saying «у меня аллергия на…» [I am allergic to…] then the name of the drug. For example, «у меня аллергия на пенициллин» [I am allergic to Penicillin].

Some other useful words are

«капельница» – IV drip

«реанимация» – intensive care unit

«палата» – patient’s room (this can be either private or shared)

«укол» – injection

«противопоказание» – counter-indication

«симптом» – symptom

«жалоба» – complaint

«боль» – pain

«острая боль» – sharp pain

«тупая боль» – dull pain

«приступ» – onset, bout

«врач» – doctor

«медбрат», «медсестра» – nurse, paramedic

«побочный эффект» – side effect

Hopefully this post will be of no use to you whatsoever. But being prepared is not a bad thing, right? What words and phrases would be the most useful to know in the event of medical emergency?

Ever wondered what do Russian animals say and how they say it? Well, consider this video your pronunciation guide and this post – the not-so-boring and definitely non-mandatory reading. 

I have a bi-lingual cat (here’s his picture). Seriously, my cat is a genius. Not only does he understand everything we tell him whether in Russian or English, he can answer in both languages. Sure, his vocabulary is limited, but his accents are purrfect (pun intended).

Ever wish you could teach your pet Russian? Or maybe you’re packing for a trip to Russia and plan to hit «птичий рынок» [a pet market], «зоомагазин» [a pet store],  «зоопарк» [a zoo] or even a local «ферма» [farm] or private «подворье» [backyard]. Whatever your plans are, I guarantee you this post will be either fantastically useful… or totally useless.

Since I have a cat, I’m going to start with cats – «коты» [male cats], «кошки» [female cats] and «котята» [kittens]. When these furry creatures speak Russian, they say «мяу-мяу» [mew] or «мур-мур» [purr]. Every cat in Russia can «мяукать» [to mew] and «мурлыкать» [to purr] fluently.

Next come «собаки» [dogs]. Now, there are two ways to say “a dog” in Russian. One is to use «пёс» [male dog] and «собака» [female dog]. That’s if you want to play it safe or are speaking to amateurs. However, if you are in a company of «собаководы» [dog breeders], «владельцы собак» [dog owners] and «собачники» [people who love dogs], you might find «кобель» [male dog] and «сука» [female dog] more appropriate. But be careful with these two words since taken out of dog ownership content they become serious insults, particularly the former. Regardless of their gender or breed, dogs in Russia know how to «гавкать» [to woof] – «гав-гав» [woof-woof].

Somehow «морские свинки» [guinea pigs], «хорьки» [ferrets], «кролики» [rabbits] and «хомячки» [hamsters] stay silent. You might think it’s because they are so small. However, «мыши» [mice], which are smaller than these, make a «пи-пи» or «пик-пик» sound.  Interestingly, «крысы» [rats] stay quiet.

It might be because «мыши» appear frequently in fairy tales where they are very helpful and mischievous. At the same time the only mentions rats get are negative, such as «тыловая крыса» [chair ranger], «корабельная крыса» [ship rat], «офисная крыса» [office rat] and «подопытная крыса» [lab rat], not to mention the whole negative PR in «Щелкунчик» [The Nutcracker].

Out on the farm, «коровы» [cows] say «му-му» [moo-moo]. This is not such a huge departure from what American cows say, is it? The verb for “to moo” is «мычать» which is also used in a rebuke «чья бы корова мычала, а твоя бы молчала» [a pot calling a kettle black].

«Лошади» [horses] on Russian farms don’t “neigh”, but instead say «и-го-го». Now, try to form a verb using this sound… Ok, I’m tricking you. The verb for “to neigh” is, unexpectedly, «ржать». Bizarrely (or not), it is also a verb that describes an act of laughing uproariously and, typically, inappropriately. The noun for such laughter is «ржачка», undignified as it is. It is not to be confused with a noun «жрачка» which, again, rudely, means “grub”. Take note that these two words should not be used in a polite and well-mannered company.

Russian «петух» [cockerel] says «ку-ка-ре-ку» while his flock of «куры» [hens] says «ко-ко-ко» and «цыплята» [chicks] say «пик-пик-пик» (yes, sort of like mice). As for other farm birds, «утки» [ducks] like to «крякать» – to make the sound of «кря-кря» and «гуси» [geese] say «га-га». Which explains my logic in calling «гусыня» [a female goose] at a local lake «Леди Гага» [Lady Gaga]. By the way, the act of making a «га-га» sound is called «гоготать» and can also mean “to laugh loudly, and possibly inappropriately”.

As for the small wild birds, such as «воробьи» [sparrows] or «скворцы» [starlings], they generally say «чик-чирик». More melodious birds, including Russian favorite «соловей» [nightingale] sing «фьють-фьють». Big black «вороны» [female crows, singular «ворона»] and «вороны» [male crows, singular «ворон»] say «кар-кар». The verb is, of course, «каркать» and can also mean “to bring bad luck” or “to prophesy gloom”.

One of the most interesting sounds that you can hear out on the farm is that of «свинья» [a pig] – «хрю-хрю» and not at all the Western “oink-oink”. The verb “to oink” is «хрюкать» and a pig is also referred to as «хрюшка». In fact, one of the beloved TV show characters of Soviet children was a puppet «поросёнок Хрюша» [Khrusha, the piglet].

Sort of to redeem for the tongue-twisting of porcine talk, Russian «лягушка» [frog] says «ква-ква». The verb is «квакать» and a frog itself is frequently called «лягушка-квакушка» in Russian fairy tales.

Of course, this list is far from being exhaustive (although if you got this far, you might be exhausted from reading it). So feel free to add other animal sounds you know or heard.

Want to know more about Russian animal-related words? Check out earlier posts about pet names and Russian sayings about animals.

Alexandr Pushkin, that most famous of the Russian poets, wrote

«Москва… как много в этом звуке

Для сердца русского слилось!»

[Moscow… how much there is in that sound

That flows together for the heart of the Russian!]

If we approach the problem from a strictly «количественный подход» [quantitative approach], there are «почти девять миллионов» [almost 9 million] search results on Google for this phrase.

But what interests me most is not «количество» [quantity], but «качество» [quality]. In other words what exactly “flows together” for the hearts of Russians and foreigners alike at the mention of «сердце Родины моей» [the heart of my Motherland].

I must admit, my experiences of Moscow are mostly second-hand, through history textbooks, literature, conversations, etc. I spent a total of about 7 days in Moscow in my whole entire life, in 1996 and again ten years later, in 2006.

Thus I decided to do some arm-chair travelling with the help of you, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for all your awesome responses to the question on our Facebook page.  Once again, I’m blown away and deeply grateful!

There were a lot of mentions of «музеи» [museums], «Красная площадь» [the Red Square], «мавзолей Ленина» [Lenin’s mausoleum] and «Собор Василия Блаженного» [St. Basil’s Cathedral]. All are must-see when one’s in Moscow, for sure.

Another must-see is «московское метро» [Moscow subway], that boasts some of the most beautifully decorated subway stations in the world. At least, it is true for the old stations. The new ones are either plain or plain weird, like «Достоевская» [Dostoyevsky station] with mosaics depicting key characters and scenes from the “Crime and Punishment” and “Brothers Karamasov”. Not the most «жизнерадостные» [cheerful] or «оптимистические» [upbeat] choices, especially for an underground space. But if there is going to be a macabre tour of Moscow, this station must be on it along with «мавзолей» [the mausoleum] and possibly «Патриаршие пруды» [Patriarshiye, or Patriarch’s, Ponds] from “Master and Margarita”.

Several mentions were about unfriendly, unsmiling people and the general hustle and bustle. I guess the latter is unavoidable in any large city. Besides, life is hard for Moscovites, what with «пробки» [traffic jams], «толчея в метро» [crowded subway], «дороговизна жизни» [expensive living] and freaky weather extremes.

Seriously though, many of my American friends note this outward somberness, lack of joy on the faces of Russians. To which I say – just get to know them better! Yes, Russians are «скупы на улыбки» [thrifty with their smiles] with strangers. But once the initial barriers are broken, it’ll be hard to find a more «отзывчивый и приветливый друг» [understanding and companionable friend] and a more «гостеприимный хозяин» [welcoming host].

Many of you mentioned delicious food, from «блинчики» [blintzes] and «пирожки» [small pies] to «борщ» [borsht] and «мороженое» [ice cream]. In my opinion, if there were only three things you could try while in Moscow, I would make it «чёрный хлеб» [dark bread], «беляш» [small round pie with meat filling], but only if it’s «с пылу с жару» [so fresh, it’s still hot] and «мороженое» [ice cream]. Oh, and just for my American friends, I’ll add «горячий шоколад» [hot chocolate] to my list.

Not sure «как обстоят дела» [how things are] with hot chocolate in other countries, but here in the States it’s just hot water with some cocoa powder mixed in. In Russia this drink is called «какао» [cocoa]. That’s for kids. But «горячий шоколад» I had in cafes in Moscow, boy, it was served with small spoons – that’s how thick it was.

And since I’m no this hot chocolate detour, here’s the recipe I found that best approximates the hot chocolate I had at various cafes in Moscow and St. Petersburg:

1. Start with 100 grams of high-quality dark chocolate. Break it into pieces and «растопите» [melt] it «на водяной бане» [in a double-boiler].
2. Add 1 table spoon of water and «размешайте» [stir].
3. In a separate «кастрюлька» [small pot], «доведите до кипения» [bring to boil] 250 milliliters of milk or light cream.
4. Slowly pour milk into chocolate, «непрерывно помешивая» [constantly stirring].
5. «Взбейте» [whisk] hot chocolate for a few minutes. Optionally, add sugar to taste and/or fold in some whipped cream.
6. Pour the real hot chocolate into cups and forget about cocoa powder for the rest of your life.

The tough part about travelling to Moscow is how expensive it is, especially for a foreign tourist. So here’s my question for you – if you only had an overnight stay in Moscow, what would you like to see or do? «Москвичи, посоветуйте нам, гостям столицы!» [Moscovites, do offer your advice to us, the guests of the capital!]