Russian Language Blog

In Russia you’ll only find «такая пустая улица» [such an empty street] in the city «летом» [(instrumental case: when?) in the summer] when «жара» [the heat] has driven all citizens either «на дачу» [(accusative case: direction) to the dacha] or – as one can read about in this article – «в подвал» [into the basement] in search of «тень» [fem. shade] and «прохладу» [(accusative case: object) cool; coolness].

Anyone who has been keeping an eye on the Russian news lately can’t possible have missed the heat wave that has almost paralyzed everyone «в европейской части Российской федерации» [in the European part of the Russian Federation]. Temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius in the summer are nothing out of the ordinary in places like the Urals or Siberia, but those Russian regions have a «резко континентальный климат» [drastic continental climate] that is indeed much more «резкий» [adj. abrupt, harsh, drastic] than the simply «континентальный климат» [continental climate] in other parts of the country we all love. If you google the phrase «жара в России» [heat in Russia] now you’ll find articles with titles like «В Москве от жары начали гибнуть аквариумные рыбки» [“In Moscow aquarium fishes have begun to die from the heat”], «Москва превратилась в асфальтную сковородку» [“Moscow has turned into a frying pan made out of asphalt”] and «Температурный рекорд в Москве вновь может быть побит» [“The temperature record in Moscow may be beat once again”]. The summer of 2010 is most likely going to be «самое жаркое лето» [the hottest summer] since the 1930’s – maybe the hottest summer EVER in Russia. This is of course a good reason to add a very useful word to our constantly expanding Russian «словарный запас» [vocabulary]: «жара» [heat]. This word is a feminine noun that has a couple of ‘word friends’ closely linked to it, like the adjective «жаркий» [1. hot; 2. fig. heated, passionate, intense], the adverb «жарко» [(used predicatively) hot] and the verb «жарить» [impfv., 1. to fry, roast, broil; 2. colloq. (of the sun) to beat down (on)]. There’s also the masculine noun «жар» [1. heat; 2. fever, high temperature; 3. fig. ardor, fervor] used in the expression «в жару» [running a high fever], and not to be entirely confused with our word of the week «жара» [heat].

Don’t forget to drink «много воды» [a lot of water] when it’s «жарко» [hot]! In Russia you can either spend money on bottled «люкс вода» [‘luxury water’] – as seen in the background on this photo – or do as the natives and get it fresh for free from a pump in the street. I think it is rather obvious what I prefer – and it is «вкуснее» [(comparative) tastier] too!

What does «жара» [heat] ‘do’ in Russian language, then? What verb should you use with it? Believe it or not, but in Russian heat ‘stands’: «жара стоит» [lit. ‘heat stands’, but better: ‘it is hot’]. A popular adjective to use together with this particular noun is «невыносимый» [unbearable, unendurable, insufferable], and because «жара» [heat] is a feminine noun, you’ll have to change the adjective accordingly, thus the correct combination is the following: «невыносимая жара» [unbearable heat]. Here’s a Russian sentence worth memorizing for future discussions about the summer of 2010:

«Всё лето стояла невыносимая жара» – [lit. ‘The whole summer stood an unbearable heat’, but better: ‘There was an unbearable heat all summer long’ or ‘It was unbearably hot all summer long’].

But to «пить только воду» [drink only water] can get rather boring, no matter how healthy it is and good for your body «в жаркую погоду» [(accusative case: when?) in hot weather] – even more so considering all the options you have to choose from when in need of «что-нибудь холодное» [something cold]. You can buy «холодное пиво» [cold beer] in the street in Russia like in the picture above, for example. Everyone reading this blog seems to be in love with «холодный квас» [cold kvas]. Personally I prefer «холодный морс» [cold ‘mors’ (special kind of Russian fruit drink)]. And then there’s always the obvious choice of «холодная водка» [cold vodka]…

It may be rather obvious to everyone reading this blog this far into today’s post that there are several ways one could translate the English sentence “It’s hot today” into Russian. Here are three suggestions using three different types of words:

Using the noun «жара»: «Сегодня стоит жара» [lit. ‘Today heat stands’].

Using the adverb «жарко»: «Сегодня жарко» [lit. ‘Today it is hot’].

Using the adjective «жаркий»: «Сегодня жаркая погода» [lit. ‘Today the weather’s hot’].

Some people like it hot – are you one of them? Personally, I have no trouble dealing even with severe heat. I like to feel the sweat run down along my skin when lying in the sun as I’m trying to «загореть» [pfv. get sunburned; get a tan]. I rarely get ‘too hot’ – I think that’s «невозможно» [impossible] when it comes to me. I appreciate the true and intense heat of «настоящая русская баня» [a real Russian ‘banya’] so much that I have been known to ‘out-sit’ even quite a few Russians over the years. I’m the kind of person that sleeps in a hooded sweatshirt (with the hood up!) and sweatpants no matter the season, because I’m persistently afraid that «вдруг будет холодно» [suddenly it will become cold]. I am definitely one of those people that like it hot. Then you might wonder how I survived in Russia? Well – and I’ve tried to tell people this for years now – Russia is not a cold country. Yes, the winters there are cold «НА УЛИЦЕ» [lit. ‘ON THE STREET’, but actually meaning: OUTSIDE]. But Russia is always much warmer than any other place «ДОМА» [AT HOME, or also: INSIDE]. And you have the hot summers to look forward to…

When «вечерняя прохлада» [the cool of the evening] comes «после жаркого дня» [after a hot day] it is always very pleasant «купаться в реке» [impfv. to go swimming in a/the river]. This is an evening scene from a village by the river «Тагил» [Tagil] in the Urals.

The verb most commonly used together with our word of the week «жара» [heat] is «выносить» [impfv., here: to stand, bear, endure]. The perfect ‘friend’ of this verb is «вынести» [and that means that the meaning is the same]. Together with this verb you’ll have to put «жара» [heat] in «винительный падеж» [accusative case] and this asking the question «кого?/что?» [who?/what?] leads to this word taking the form of «жару». Here you have a couple of sentences that illustrate this combination:

«Я хорошо выношу жару» [I stand the heat well].

«Он не выносит жару» [he can’е stand the heat].

But that’s not the only noun that can be used together with this verb. In Russian language – as in any other language, for that matter – it is possible to not stand a wide range of different things. For example, other people:

«Я тебя не выношу!» [I can't stand you!]

And when you can’t stand the heat, there’s one thing you need to know how to say before you say anything else:

«Мне жарко!» [I’m hot!].

When you say this in Russian, please remember that it does not have the same connotation as the English translation ‘I’m hot’ in the sense of ‘I’m attractive (to the opposite sex)’, because the ‘I’ of the Russian sentence is not the subject but the object (in dative). That’s why you shouldn’t try to compliment an attractive Russian girl by saying «ты жаркая девушка» – because even though it translates directly into ‘you’re a hot girl’ that’s not at all what it means. Stick to standard adjectives like «красивая» [beautiful], «симпатичная» [cute] or «милая» [sweet] if you want to make sure to get your message of humble appreciation and gentlemanly interest across.

You can, however, use the adjective «жаркий» in the sense of ‘a heated discussion’ like this: «жаркая дискуссия» [heated discussion].

Really, the topic of standard combinations ‘adjective + noun’ in Russian versus the same ‘adjective + noun’ in English – with the risk of the direct English translation being both weird and silly – deserves a post of it’s own! Do you know any examples of such phrases that work in one language but so not in another?

Time flies and it’s already mid-July. Can you smell the winter frost in the air? With the thermometer stubbornly in the 90ies (Fahrenheit), I personally can’t. And yet, while the summer is in full swing, there are many signs pointing to the approaching winter. I have at least 3 of these signs in my own closet. I’m not talking about sweaters, snow boots or fur hats either, but about sundresses.

Now, before you decide that the heat finally got to me and I need a day off in the freezer section of my local grocery store, hear me out. The Russian word for sundress is «сарафан». Of course, «сарафан» can also be translated as “pinafore”.

If you have a picture in mind of a traditional Russian dress, you will most likely see some richly embroidered long scarlet-red pinafores worn over white shirts with billowing sleeves (like the one above courtesy of “Музей России“). If you don’t have this picture in mind then just Google “traditional Russian dress”.

Interestingly, a term «сарафанное радио» [word-of-mouth, lit. pinafore radio] used to imply idle gossip, typically by women-folk (oh so unfair, considering that originally «сарафаны» [pinafores] were part of men’s costume). Of course, nowadays the term «сарафанное радио» is getting a facelift and a positive spin and means “word-of-mouth” as it relates to viral marketing. You can listen to the song «сарафанное радио» here and then try singing it yourself, karaoke-style, here.

Either way, the idea behind «сарафанное радио» is informal, conversational, exchange of information. The downside it is when «народ трепется» [people shoot breeze], the once-useful information transforms into «полная брехня» [utter malarkey].

Since «брехня» [malarkey] exists, there must be something or someone generating it, right? Well, someone who routinely delivers fresh loads of «брехня» into your ears is called «брехло» (use this word with extreme caution since it is rude; if in doubt, replace with «враньё» [malarkey] and «врун» [liar]). But even if you don’t have anyone this unpleasant in your surroundings, you likely have «брехальник» – an object that serves as means of just-in-time delivery of nonsense. It can be a TV set, but most of the time when Russians mention «брехальник» they refer to the radio.

Speaking of radio… Do you know who invented it? In my «Волгоградская школа №130» [Volgograd public school #130] the correct answer was, and probably still is, «Александр Попов» [Alexander Popov] and not Guglielmo Marconi. Although, I’m not sure either of them would be thrilled to know they fathered «брехальник».

Somewhat related to «брехальник» is «мобильник» [mobile phone]. Obviously, it was invented by another Russian, Moscow engineer «Л.И. Куприянов» [L.I. Kupriyanov] who demonstrated the first working mobile phone in 1957.

1957, by the way, was the official launch year of the massive housing developments that became known as «хрущёвки» [Khrushchev’s housing] or «хрущобы» [Khrushchev’s slums]. Many of these awful and much dilapidated buildings are still standing and appear quite regularly in the photos on EnglishRussia.com. Moscow, however, commenced a systematic demolition of its «хрущобы». Reportedly, the last of these panel housing units will become a museum.

If it does, then it will be one of the most unusual Russian museums. Others include «музей истории русской водки с дегустационным залом» [museum of Russian vodka, complete with a tasting room] in Uglich and «музей валенок» [museum of felt boots] in the town of Mishkin.

«Валенки» [felt boots] are just about the most famous Russian footwear. Related to the word «увалень» [a sluggish and clumsy person], they are used to describe someone who’s not the sharpest tool in the shed to put it mildly – «тупой, как валенок». But they are also quite possibly the only footwear with a song of its own. You can find this song, titled «Валенки, валенки» [felt boots, felt boots] on YouTube.

If you take a closer look at each and every YouTube version of this song, you’ll soon notice an interesting pattern – all female singers wear «сарафаны» [pinafores], which brings me back to the sundresses I mentioned earlier. You see, I told you, the winter is just around the corner!

An old poster (courtesy of EnglishRussia.com) announces “Pioneers! Strengthen your health at a Pioneer Camp” and shows some of the health-improving activities – group exercises, swimming, maintaining proper hygene, and a good long afternoon nap.

Summer in Russia seems to be a theme for most of this week’s posts. So it only makes sense to «выразить поддержку» [express support] by writing about my summers growing up in Russia.

For me, summers were like «американские горки» [roller-coasters]. First, there was excitement of the last day of school, of returning textbooks to the school library and of not having to wake up early or spend time on «домашняя работа» [homework] for the next 3 months. I finally had a chance to goof off and spend days with friends or at a library without having to worry about my teachers tatter-telling on me for skipping classes.

But the almost unlimited (be back home by 8pm) freedom of «летние каникулы» [summer break] was nothing compared to what was coming up next – a summer camp.

«Пионерские лагеря» [Young Pioneers’ summer camps] were something most of Soviet kids knew first-hand. Camps gave us, the city kids, a chance to get out of a sweltering city for 3-4 weeks and enjoy considerable independence and scarce adult oversight.

Sure, there were «вожатые» [camp counselors, lit.: leaders], but they were outnumbered ten or fifteen to one and, in any case, were too concerned with their little summer romances or too tired from the late-night counselors-only parties to be bothered with us kids.

Of course there was a set routine. At 8am sharp the camp’s radio would play something rousing, usually performed on a «пионерский горн» which was, misleadingly, not a horn at all, but rather a trumpet.

Since it was common knowledge that «в здоровом теле – здоровый дух» [healthy spirit is in a healthy body] the entire camp population would meet at a stadium for «утренняя гимнастика» [morning exercise routine].

At some point in the morning there was also a «линейка» [here - formation] during which the entire camp’s population would stand at attention, salute the flag, and listen to the announcements. After that, you were back with your «отряд» [troop] and «вожатые отряда» [troop leaders] for the rest of the day.

Each «отряд» [troop] of 30 or so kids matched by age had to memorize two critical pieces of camp poetry – «девиз» [slogan] and «речевка» [shouting song]. «Девиз» was a short slogan that somehow reflected the name the group chose for itself. It was shouted from the top of one’s lungs at each «линейка» when the group was mentioned and at every camp-wide event.

For example, one of the troop’s names was Disney-themed «Чип и Дейл» [Chip and Dale]. Their slogan – «Чип и Дейл спешат на помощь, но и мы не отстаём» [Chip and Dale are rescue rangers, but we aren’t so bad ourselves].

«Речёвка» was recited as the group marched to the chow, oops, the dining hall (no denying, there was a large paramilitary aspect to it all). For example,

«Раз-два-три-четыре,

Три-четыре, раз-два.

Кто шагает дружно в ряд?

Пионерский наш отряд.

Сильные, смелые, ловкие, умелые!»

[One-two-three-four,

Three-four, one-two,

Who is marching in this group?

It’s our Pioneers troop.

Strong, brave, clever, skilled!

After breakfast of «каша» [porridge], «хлеб» [bread], «масло» [butter], and «чай» [tea], it was time for «кружки» [here - hobby groups, lit: small circles]. The most popular groups were «сценический» [drama], «походный» [hiking and wilderness training], «умелые руки» [craftsman] and «клуб весёлых и находчивых» [improve comedy; lit. - club for fun and resourceful people].

Lunch was followed by a mandatory «тихий час» [quiet hour] when even older children were required to stay in beds and remain quiet. But the best time was between the quiet hour and dinner. Those were a few hours of free play, roaming around the camp, going for a swim, attempting to hack nightstands into comfortable yet inconspicuous houses for garden snakes, lizards, beetles and any other wildlife we managed to catch.

It was late 80ies when I went to these camps and so, to keep up with the times, we had weekly dances where girls mostly danced to the music of «Ласковый Май» [Russia’s first boy-band] while boys stood quietly in the shadows dreading the inevitable «медленный танец» [the slow dance].

I found this excellent photo of the camp bonfire in this Picasa album of Mr. Shergilov.

There were a few events during each «смена» [3-4 week camp; lit: shift] that brought all the camp’s groups together. Between the boring and formal opening ceremony and a wildly fun closing festivities (with a bonfire and a concert), there were a water-themed «день Нептуна» [Neptune’s Day], a talent show and best of all, «Зарница» [Summer Lightning] – a day-long war game between the reds and the blues.

Of course, the quality of camp accommodations and activities varied. The golden standard was «Артек», a famed, fabled and most-prestigious camp in the Crimea. Rumors had it that at «Артек» kids ate bananas and drank Coke for «полдник» [mid-afternoon snack] – delicacies most of the Soviet children knew only from books about «загнивающий капитализм» [rotting capitalism].  

The only thing I didn’t like about camps was that parents weren’t allowed to visit except on a special visiting day when they would show up carrying «авоськи» [string bags] loaded with fruits and home-baked pastries. They’d look well-rested and even relaxed and smelled of home and I always wanted to go with them back to the city, my house and my normal non-camp life.