{"id":1844,"date":"2011-02-15T08:37:06","date_gmt":"2011-02-15T08:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=1844"},"modified":"2011-02-15T04:41:42","modified_gmt":"2011-02-15T04:41:42","slug":"i-want-to-live-in-prostokvashino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/i-want-to-live-in-prostokvashino\/","title":{"rendered":"I Want to Live in Prostokvashino!"},"content":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ooTUQ53Ra7U<\/a><\/p>\n

I recently read an article in a Russian newspaper that talked about the demise of Russian animation. While the story was sad, it made me think of some of my favorite \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0444\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043c\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [cartoons]. And one of my most favorite ones was about \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043a\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0438\u043d\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [Prostokvashino]. It\u2019s a story of how a small boy named \u00ab<\/strong>\u0414\u044f<\/span>\u0434\u044f <\/strong>\u0424\u0451<\/span>\u0434\u043e\u0440\u00bb<\/strong> [Uncle Fyodor], a sophisticated cat \u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0430\u0442\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043a\u0438\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [Matroskin], and a mutt \u00ab<\/strong>\u0428\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [Sharik] settle in an abandoned house in a small village of Prostokvashino.<\/p>\n

There are 3 Prostokvashino episodes, all available on YouTube, but my favorite one is the last in the series, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0417\u0438\u043c\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u041f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043a\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0438\u043d\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [Winter in Prostokvashino]. I watched it the other day with my son and laughed \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u043e <\/strong>\u0441\u043b\u0451\u0437\u00bb<\/strong> [so hard that I almost cried].<\/p>\n

While the storyline is very simple, it\u2019s the cultural references that make this cartoon so fantastic. At the same time, it might be one of the least comprehensible ones for the language learners. There\u2019s definitely a lot that gets lost in translation. To help you out a bit, I decided to put together a bit of a Prostokvashino 101.<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438 <\/strong>\u0446\u0430\u0440\u0435<\/span> <\/strong>\u0413\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0445\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [lit. in the times of tsar Gorokh] – this expression means \u201clong time ago\u201d. \u00a0So why not just say so in the first place? The mention of a mythical tsar Gorokh (\u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0445\u00bb<\/strong> means \u201cpeas\u201d) brings an element of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0431\u0440\u043e\u0434\u0443<\/span>\u0448\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0441\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [good-natured teasing] to whatever follows. The origin of the phrase is not certain, but another good Russian expression including \u00ab<\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0445\u00bb<\/strong> [peas] is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u0443\u0442 <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0445\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [motley fool].<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [lit. means] – euphemism for money as in \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430 <\/strong>\u043a <\/strong>\u0441\u0443\u0449\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044e\u00bb<\/strong> [means of existence] or a website Sredstva.ru that provides personal banking information. This is one of those words that are frequently mispronounced – \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u00bb.<\/strong> Notice how the simpleton village mailman incorrectly says \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> instead of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [genitive plural form] while a sophisticated urbanite cat replies with the correct pronunciation \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [nominative plural].<\/p>\n

The entire opening scene shows how impractical Sharik the dog is. As all Russians know \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0436\u0438<\/span> <\/strong>\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0445\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0435, <\/strong>\u0436\u0438\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0442 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0435, <\/strong>\u0430 <\/strong>\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u0438 – <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0442\u0435\u043f\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [Keep your head cold, stomach – hungry, but feet – warm]. And running shoes simply won’t do it.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041f\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u044e! \u0428\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u043a, \u0442\u044b – \u0431\u0430\u043b\u0431\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u00bb<\/strong> [Congratulations! Sharik, you are a bonehead] – the cat, Matroskin, is forced to start with a congratulation because he\u2019s writing a message on a higher-priced special occasions form. This has become one of those \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0440\u044b\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0444\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0437\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [catch phrases] and you can frequently hear \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u044e!\u00bb<\/strong> [Congratulations!] preceding a negative statement.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0429\u0430\u0441 \u043c\u044b (\u043a\u043e\u0447\u0435\u0440\u0433\u0443<\/span>) \u0443\u043f\u0430\u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0435\u043c \u0438 \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0430\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043c. \u042d\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0436\u0435 <\/strong>\u0431\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0435\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u044c <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f\u00bb <\/strong>[Now we\u2019re going to pack and deliver it (the poker). It\u2019s a parcel we\u2019ve got here.] – what follows is a perfect visual explanation of what a \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0435\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> is – a small package wrapped in paper.<\/p>\n

A small note on the word \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u0447\u0435\u0440\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [a poker]. There is a \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [an amusing short story<\/a>] by Mikhail Zoshchenko that shows how much of a problem declension of some words can present even to the native speakers of Russian.<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0411\u043e<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0443 <\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [lit. to roll a barrel] – the meaning of this phrase is \u201cto come down hard\u201d on someone as in \u00ab<\/strong>\u0422\u044b <\/strong>\u0447\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u043d\u0430 <\/strong>\u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f<\/span> <\/strong>\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0443 <\/strong>\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0438\u0448\u044c? <\/strong>\u042f \u0442\u0443\u0442 \u043d\u0438 \u043f\u0440\u0438 \u0447\u0451\u043c.\u00bb<\/strong> [Why are you being so hard on me? It\u2019s not my fault.]<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0427\u0442\u043e? <\/strong>\u0413\u0434\u0435? <\/strong>\u041a\u043e\u0433\u0434\u0430?\u00bb<\/strong> [What? Where? When?] is a popular TV show first aired back in 1975, practically \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438 <\/strong>\u0446\u0430\u0440\u0435<\/span> <\/strong>\u0413\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0445\u0435\u00bb.<\/strong> In this very engaging game TV viewers send in their questions and a team of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u043d\u0430\u0442\u043e\u043a\u0438<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [experts] has 60 seconds to figure out the answer. Arriving at the correct answer usually requires good knowledge of general facts and trivia (that\u2019s the \u201cwhat, where, when\u201d part) in combination with logical thinking.<\/p>\n

\u00ab… <\/strong>\u0440\u0435\u0431\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u0430 <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [to get a child] – the Dad in the cartoon tends to use dry humor, known in Russia as \u00ab<\/strong>\u0430\u043d\u0433\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0439\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u044e<\/span><\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0440\u00bb.<\/strong> This also means a joke that\u2019s not laugh-out-loud funny. Another common phrase that refers to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0443\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u0410\u043b\u044c\u0431\u0438\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u00bb,<\/strong> a euphemism for England, is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0443\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u043f\u043e-<\/strong>\u0430\u043d\u0433\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0439\u0441\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [to depart English-style]. This means leaving without saying goodbye or making much fuss over one\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n

But back to the verb \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [to get]. It has two different meanings. One is to get to someone as in \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u043e\u043c\u043e\u043b\u0447\u0438<\/span>, <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0443\u0439\u0441\u0442\u0430. <\/strong>\u0422\u044b <\/strong>\u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f<\/span> <\/strong>\u0443\u0436\u0435<\/span> <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u043b!\u00bb<\/strong> [Be quiet, please. You are getting on my nerves!].<\/p>\n

The second meaning, used in the cartoon, is to procure something. Back in the days of constant shortages, it wasn\u2019t the money that counted, but the people you knew. Hence the word \u201cbuy\u201d wasn\u2019t used much for \u201cbig-ticket\u201d or \u201ccool\u201d items. Instead, one would brag \u00ab<\/strong>\u042f <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0446-<\/strong>\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u0443 <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [I finally got a wall unit] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0443\u0436 <\/strong>\u0443 <\/strong>\u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f<\/span> – <\/strong>\u043b\u043e\u043f\u0443<\/span>\u0445. <\/strong>\u041d\u043e \u043d\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0446-\u0442\u043e \u0435\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u0443\u0434\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u044c \u043f\u0443\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0432\u043a\u0443 \u043d\u0430 \u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0435 \u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [My hubby is a simpleton. But he finally managed to get a hotel voucher for a seaside resort.]<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0439 <\/strong>\u043e\u0433\u043e\u043d\u0451<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [lit. The New Year\u2019s blue light] – traditional TV show aired on New Year\u2019s Eve (or right after midnight on January 1st<\/sup>) consisting of songs, dances and sketch comedy. The name refers to the bluish light of a TV screen. For the longest time these pre-taped shows were the only New Year\u2019s Eve TV entertainment.<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0439\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> is a quilted jacket that is a traditional, if not very attractive, way of keeping one warm. It\u2019s definitely a piece of winter clothing that, unlike \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0446\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [formal gown], will leave even a super-model looking like a cement block.<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0447\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u043f\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> \u00a0stand for \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [period] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u043f\u044f\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [comma] respectively and were commonly used in \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u0435\u0433\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u043c\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [telegrams]. The usual explanation for the abbreviations is that they were used to save money. That\u2019s incorrect since telegrams were priced per word, not per character. The best explanation that I found was that way back in the days the telegrams were used primarily by reporters and had to follow a certain standard for readability and error reduction.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s it for Part 1 of the \u00ab<\/strong>\u0417\u0438\u043c\u0430<\/span> <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u041f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043a\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0438\u043d\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [Winter in Prostokvashino] cultural review. Next time – Part 2 cultural stuff. Did I miss anything? If you\u2019ve seen all the \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043a\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u0438\u043d\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> episodes, what\u2019s your favorite? If I missed a word or a phrase that you want to know about, please leave a comment here or on our fanpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Almost forgot! Here’s your homework\u00a0 – watch all Prostokvashino episodes on YouTube (just search for “Prostokvashino) and decide which one is your favorite. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently read an article in a Russian newspaper that talked about the demise of Russian animation. While the story was sad, it made me think of some of my favorite \u00ab\u043c\u0443\u043b\u044c\u0442\u0444\u0438\u043b\u044c\u043c\u044b\u00bb [cartoons]. And one of my most favorite ones was about \u00ab\u041f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043a\u0432\u0430\u0448\u0438\u043d\u043e\u00bb [Prostokvashino]. It\u2019s a story of how a small boy named \u00ab\u0414\u044f\u0434\u044f \u0424\u0451\u0434\u043e\u0440\u00bb…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8,7827,995],"tags":[27191,26120,26293,26812,26484],"class_list":["post-1844","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-culture","category-language","category-russian-life","category-soviet-union","tag-fun-russian-phrases","tag-prostokvashino","tag-russian-animation","tag-russian-catch-phrases","tag-soviet-animation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1844","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\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1844\/revisions\/1845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}