{"id":14350,"date":"2021-06-22T15:39:04","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T15:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=14350"},"modified":"2021-06-22T15:40:02","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T15:40:02","slug":"russian-euphemisms-about-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/russian-euphemisms-about-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian euphemisms about death"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A lot of <strong>\u0444\u0440\u0430\u0437\u0435\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438\u0437\u043c\u044b<\/strong> (idioms) about \u2018death\u2019 in Russian rely on verbs of motion that depict a person leaving this life and world. The 5 euphemisms below all mean \u2018to die\u2019 but I will write the literal translation in parenthesis to make them easier to remember. My goal, though, is to not just help you remember these euphemisms but also to talk about the similarities between the phrases Russian speakers choose to talk about death.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14351\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14351\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14351\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-duong-nhan-2297663-1-350x233.jpg\" alt=\"woman standing at the door\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-duong-nhan-2297663-1-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-duong-nhan-2297663-1.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14351\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@d-ng-nhan-324384?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels\">D\u01b0\u01a1ng Nh\u00e2n<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/woman-standing-near-open-door-about-to-step-outside-2297663\/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels\">Pexels<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<h4><strong>Euphemisms for \u201cto die\u201d (with literal translations)<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c \u044d\u0301\u0442\u043e\u0442 \u043c\u0438\u0440 (\u0441\u0432\u0435\u0442) \u2014 to leave this world behind<\/li>\n<li>\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0439\u0442\u0438\u0301 \u0432 \u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0438\u043d\u043e\u0301\u0439 \u2014 to go or to move to the other world<\/li>\n<li>\u043e\u0442\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u0442\u043e\u0442 \u0441\u0432\u0435\u0442 \u2014 to depart to the afterlife<\/li>\n<li>\u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0441\u043e \u0437\u0434\u0435\u0301\u0448\u043d\u0438\u043c \u0441\u0432\u0435\u0301\u0442\u043e\u043c (\u0441 \u0436\u0438\u0301\u0437\u043d\u044c\u044e) \u2014 to separate from this life<\/li>\n<li>\u0443\u0439\u0442\u0438\u0301 \u0432 \u043b\u0443\u0301\u0447\u0448\u0438\u0439 \u043c\u0438\u0440 (\u0432 \u043d\u0435\u0431\u044b\u0442\u0438\u0451, \u0432 \u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0438\u043d\u043e\u0301\u0439, \u0438\u0437 \u0436\u0438\u0301\u0437\u043d\u0438) \u2014 to move to the better world<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As you might have noticed, the verbs usually mean \u2018leaving\u2019, \u2018going\u2019, and \u2018departing\u2019 while the nouns either explicitly say \u201clife\u201d (<strong>\u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u044c<\/strong>) or substitute it with \u201cworld\u201d (<strong>\u043c\u0438\u0440<\/strong>, <strong>\u0441\u0432\u0435\u0442<\/strong>). Let\u2019s take a closer look at the verbs out of the context of \u2018dying\u2019 to see how they make conversations about death less clinical, harsh, or triggering.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>\u041e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c<\/strong> &#8211; to leave behind.<\/h4>\n<p>You can <strong>\u201c\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c \u0434\u0435\u0442\u0435\u0301\u0439 \u0443 \u0431\u0430\u0301\u0431\u0443\u0448\u043a\u0438\u201d<\/strong> (to leave the kids at grandma\u2019s) and <strong>\u201c\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c \u0441\u0443\u0301\u043c\u043a\u0443 \u0432 \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0301\u0431\u0443\u0441\u0435\u201d<\/strong> (to leave the bag on the bus), but when talking about death, this verb makes you feel like the deceased one almost had a reason for leaving this world behind. Unfortunately, like with all euphemisms, the phrase also gives you a false sense of hope that that person can <strong>\u0432\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0443\u0301\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong> (come back) and <strong>\u0437\u0430\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c<\/strong> (take back) whatever they left behind.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u041e\u043d\u0430\u0301 \u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u043b\u0430 \u044d\u0301\u0442\u043e\u0442 \u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0441\u043b\u0438\u0301\u0448\u043a\u043e\u043c \u0440\u0430\u0301\u043d\u043e.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>She went too soon.<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14356\" style=\"width: 243px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14356\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14356\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-liza-summer-6347562-233x350.jpg\" alt=\"a woman closing the door\" width=\"233\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-liza-summer-6347562-233x350.jpg 233w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-liza-summer-6347562.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14356\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@liza-summer?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels\"><strong>Liza Summer<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/indian-female-with-shopping-bags-leaving-apartment-6347562\/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels\"><strong>Pexels<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h4><strong>\u041e\u0442\u043e\u0439\u0442\u0438\u0301<\/strong> &#8211; to go, step away\/aside.<\/h4>\n<p>Again, it\u2019s the kind of verb that lightens the inevitability and definiteness of death since someone who can \u201c<strong>\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0439\u0442\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u201d can just as easily \u201c<strong>\u0432\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0443\u0301\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>\u0414\u0430\u0432\u0430\u0301\u0439 \u043e\u0442\u043e\u0439\u0434\u0451\u043c \u0432 \u0441\u0442\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0301\u043d\u043a\u0443 \u043e\u0442 \u043a\u0430\u0301\u0441\u0441\u044b?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Let\u2019s move to the side of the register.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u0412\u0441\u0435 \u043c\u044b \u0445\u043e\u0442\u0438\u0301\u043c \u043e\u0442\u043e\u0439\u0442\u0438\u0301 \u0432 \u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0438\u043d\u043e\u0301\u0439 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0301\u044f, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u043d\u0430\u0441 \u0431\u0443\u0301\u0434\u0443\u0442 \u043f\u043e\u0301\u043c\u043d\u0438\u0442\u044c.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>We all want to go knowing that others will remember us.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4><strong>\u041e\u0442\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong> &#8211; to leave, to go or to get on the road.<\/h4>\n<p>This one always strikes me as simultaneously the most positive and darkest of the 5 euphemisms, depending on how it\u2019s used. On one hand, <strong>\u201c\u043e\u0442\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u0442\u043e\u0442 \u0441\u0432\u0435\u0442\u201d<\/strong> makes you think of <strong>\u201c\u043e\u0442\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0432 \u043f\u0443\u0442\u0435\u0448\u0435\u0301\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0438\u0435\u201d<\/strong> (go on an adventure) and on the other hand, when directed at someone, it becomes a threat. For example:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u041c\u044b \u043e\u0442\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0432\u0438\u043c \u0442\u0435\u0431\u044f\u0301 \u043d\u0430 \u0442\u043e\u0442 \u0441\u0432\u0435\u0442 \u0435\u0301\u0441\u043b\u0438 \u0442\u044b \u043d\u0435 \u0432\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0451\u0448\u044c \u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>We will have you swimming with the fishes if you don\u2019t bring the money back.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4><strong>\u0420\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong> \u2013 to leave, to separate, or to break up.<\/h4>\n<p>Does the line <strong>\u201c\u0441 \u043b\u044e\u0431\u0438\u0301\u043c\u044b\u043c\u0438 \u043d\u0435 \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u0430\u0301\u0439\u0442\u0435\u0441\u044c\u201d<\/strong> (don&#8217;t leave your loved ones) come to mind? It\u2019s part of the ending to the famous poem from the Soviet classic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=q4OEVG5Zhlw\">\u0418\u0440\u043e\u0301\u043d\u0438\u044f \u0421\u0443\u0434\u044c\u0431\u044b<\/a>. The verb itself is more complex than \u201cto leave\u201d or \u201cto separate\u201d because it implies that the action is final, e.g., <strong>\u201c\u043c\u044b \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u043b\u0438\u0441\u044c\u201d<\/strong> (we broke up). And while you can say <strong>\u201c\u043c\u044b \u0441\u043e\u0448\u043b\u0438\u0301\u0441\u044c\u201d<\/strong> (we got back together), unlike the other euphemisms, it\u2019s more difficult to \u2018undo\u2019 the action. It\u2019s possible that, as a result, in the context of death, the phrase <strong>\u201c\u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0441 \u0436\u0438\u0301\u0437\u043d\u044c\u044e\u201d<\/strong> means \u201cto commit suicide\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u0415\u0433\u043e\u0301 \u0441\u0435\u043c\u044c\u044f\u0301 \u0442\u0430\u043a \u0438 \u043d\u0435 \u0443\u0437\u043d\u0430\u0301\u043b\u0430 \u043f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443\u0301 \u043e\u043d \u0440\u0435\u0448\u0438\u0301\u043b \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0441 \u0436\u0438\u0301\u0437\u043d\u044c\u044e.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>His family never found out why he chose to end his life.<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14357\" style=\"width: 274px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14357\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14357\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-miriam-espacio-3354135-264x350.jpg\" alt=\"a woman in the woods\" width=\"264\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-miriam-espacio-3354135-264x350.jpg 264w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-miriam-espacio-3354135.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-14357\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@miriamespacio?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels\"><strong>Miriam Espacio<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/person-standing-near-trees-3354135\/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels\"><strong>Pexels<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h4><strong>\u0423\u0439\u0442\u0438\u0301<\/strong> \u2013 to leave.<\/h4>\n<p>This one is likely the most commonly used death euphemism since you always hear the news outlets saying <strong>\u201c\u0443\u0448\u0451\u043b \u0438\u0437 \u0436\u0438\u0301\u0437\u043d\u0438 [\u0438\u0301\u043c\u044f \u0430\u043a\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0430] \/ \u0443\u0448\u043b\u0430\u0301 \u0438\u0437 \u0436\u0438\u0301\u0437\u043d\u0438 [\u0438\u0301\u043c\u044f \u0430\u043a\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0301\u0441\u044b]<\/strong> (this actor\/actress passed away)\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>You might have also heard people say <strong>\u201c\u0438\u0441\u0447\u0435\u0301\u0437\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c \u0441 \u043b\u0438\u0446\u0430 \u0437\u0435\u043c\u043b\u0438\u201d<\/strong> meaning \u201cto disappear off the face of the earth\u201d. So, strictly speaking, <strong>\u201c\u0438\u0441\u0447\u0435\u0301\u0437\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c \u0441 \u043b\u0438\u0446\u0430 \u0437\u0435\u043c\u043b\u0438\u201d<\/strong> doesn\u2019t directly mean \u201cto die\u201d but more like \u201cceasing to exist\u201d and \u201cgoing extinct\u201d. In Russian that would be <strong>\u0432\u044b\u0301\u043c\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u2014 to die out, to become extinct.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u041c\u044b \u043c\u043e\u0301\u0436\u0435\u043c \u0442\u043e\u0301\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e \u0433\u0430\u0434\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c \u0438\u0437-\u0437\u0430\u0301 \u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0301 \u044d\u0301\u0442\u0438 \u043c\u043b\u0435\u043a\u043e\u043f\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0301\u044e\u0449\u0438\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0447\u0435\u0301\u0437\u043b\u0438 \u0441 \u043b\u0438\u0446\u0430 \u0437\u0435\u043c\u043b\u0438.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>We can only guess why these mammals disappeared off the face of the earth.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In everyday conversations it\u2019s common to use this phrase as a slightly more dramatic version of \u201cto disappear\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u041d\u0443, \u043d\u0435 \u043c\u043e\u0433\u043b\u0438\u0301 \u0436\u0435 \u043e\u043d\u0438\u0301 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0301\u0441\u0442\u043e \u0432\u0437\u044f\u0442\u044c \u0438 \u0438\u0441\u0447\u0435\u0301\u0437\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c \u0441 \u043b\u0438\u0446\u0430 \u0437\u0435\u043c\u043b\u0438?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>They couldn\u2019t have just disappeared like that, right?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For more Russian verbs that mean &#8220;to die&#8221; see <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/how-do-you-say-to-die-in-russian\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"264\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-miriam-espacio-3354135-264x350.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a woman in the woods\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-miriam-espacio-3354135-264x350.jpg 264w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/06\/pexels-miriam-espacio-3354135.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px\" \/><p>A lot of \u0444\u0440\u0430\u0437\u0435\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438\u0437\u043c\u044b (idioms) about \u2018death\u2019 in Russian rely on verbs of motion that depict a person leaving this life and world. The 5 euphemisms below all mean \u2018to die\u2019 but I will write the literal translation in parenthesis to make them easier to remember. My goal, though, is to not just help you&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/russian-euphemisms-about-death\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":14357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,82,8,7827,13],"tags":[557213,557214,56889,253079,250249,111747,1696],"class_list":["post-14350","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-idioms","category-language","category-russian-life","category-vocabulary","tag-death-in-russian","tag-russian-euphemisms","tag-russian-idioms","tag-russian-vocabulary","tag-thematic-vocabulary","tag-useful-russian-phrases","tag-1696"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14350"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15188,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14350\/revisions\/15188"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}