{"id":409,"date":"2009-09-26T14:24:51","date_gmt":"2009-09-26T18:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=409"},"modified":"2009-09-26T14:24:51","modified_gmt":"2009-09-26T18:24:51","slug":"russian-word-of-the-week-%c2%ab%d0%a5%d0%b0%d0%bb%d1%8f%d0%b2%d0%b0%c2%bb-freebie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/russian-word-of-the-week-%c2%ab%d0%a5%d0%b0%d0%bb%d1%8f%d0%b2%d0%b0%c2%bb-freebie\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Word of the Week: \u00ab\u0425\u0430\u043b\u044f\u0432\u0430\u00bb [Freebie]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

Looking through pictures from a couple of absolutely lovely and lazy summer days spent with my friend Marina’s family \u00ab\u0432 \u041a\u0443\u0440\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0435<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong> [in Kurgan<\/a>] in July, I came across this one: \u00ab\u041a\u0430\u0444\u0435<\/span> \u0421\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u0430\u044f \u041f\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0433\u0430. 20 \u0438\u044e<\/span>\u043b\u044f \u0432 18.00. \u0412\u0445\u043e\u0434 \u0431\u0435\u0441\u043f\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u043d\u043e (\u0425\u0410\u041b\u042f<\/span>\u0412\u0410) :-)\u00bb <\/strong>[Caf\u00e9 Old Prague. July 20th<\/sup> at 18-00. Entrance free of charge (FREEBIE) :-)]. And that’s when I realized that this word – \u00ab\u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/a><\/strong> – is perfect for Word of the Week this week! I have also seen almost the same thing written \u00ab\u043d\u0430 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0448\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0430<\/a>\u0445\u00bb<\/strong> [on those special, most typical Russian mini-buses; on \u2018marshrtuka<\/a>s’] since the beginning of the \u00ab\u043a\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0437\u0438\u0441\u00bb<\/a><\/strong> [crisis] last fall and they had to lower the price of a ticket from 20 rubles to 10 rubles: \u00ab\u0425\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0430, \u0433\u043e\u0441\u043f\u043e\u0434\u0430<\/span>!\u00bb<\/strong> [Freebie, good people!]<\/em><\/p>\n

After opening up the old faithful \u00ab\u042d\u0442\u0438\u043c\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u044c \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e \u044f\u0437\u044b\u043a\u0430<\/span> \u041c. \u0424\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u043c\u0435\u0440\u0430\u00bb <\/strong>[M. Fasmer’s Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] it became clear to me that the etymology of the highly useful Russian word \u00ab\u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [freebie] is unclear. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t use it! Of course we must use it. \u00ab\u0425\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> might not be in all Russian-English dictionaries, and I’m not sure that I’m completely content with the translation of it as ‘freebie’<\/em>. Therefore I think we should take a look at some of its synonyms in Russian:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0411\u0435\u0441\u043f\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u043d\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> – [free of charge; free; gratis]. This one is the most obvious one and a word that you probably already knew! (And if you didn’t know it before, then make a note of it now because it will surely come in handy!) <\/em>There’s nothing wrong with repeating since after all there is a famous Russian proverb that proudly proclaims: \u00ab\u041f\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0435 – \u043c\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0443\u0447\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f!\u00bb<\/strong> [“Repetition is the mother of learning!”].<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0414\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u043c\u00bb<\/strong> (also \u00ab\u0437\u0430\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u043c\u00bb<\/strong>) – [free; gratis; free of charge; for nought]. If we in this adverb can find the noun \u00ab\u0434\u0430\u0440\u00bb<\/strong> [gift; donation; grant] it will start to make a lot more sense.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0414\u0430\u0440\u043c\u043e\u0432\u0449\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> – I couldn’t find in my Russian-English dictionary, but I know that it also a synonym and that it translates into Russian as \u00ab\u0442\u043e, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u043d\u043e \u0431\u0435\u0441\u043f\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u043d\u043e \u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0438 \u0437\u0430 \u0447\u0443\u0436\u043e<\/span>\u0439 \u0441\u0447\u0451\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [that which is received for free or paid for by someone else].<\/p>\n

If you notice that they’re handing out samples of \u00ab\u0448\u043e\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> [chocolate] or \u00ab\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0444\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044b\u00bb <\/strong>[candy] at your local \u00ab\u0441\u0443\u043f\u0435\u0440\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0435\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [supermarket], all you need to do to make the one you’re shopping with understand what’s going on is to point in the correct direction and say: \u00ab\u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0430!\u00bb <\/strong>If you receive something for free, like for example \u00ab\u043f\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0437\u0434\u043a\u0430 \u043d\u0430 \u0434\u0432\u043e\u0438<\/span>\u0445 \u0432 \u0422\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0446\u0438\u044e\u00bb <\/strong>[a trip for two to Turkey (why not? It could happen!)<\/em>], you should use the following construction when bragging about it in front of your Russian friends: \u00ab\u042f \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0447\u0438<\/span>\u043b\/\u0430<\/span> \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u0443 \u043f\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0437\u0434\u043a\u0443 \u043d\u0430 \u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0443!\u00bb <\/strong>[I received this trip for free!].<\/p>\n

And there’s of course a piece of Russian phraseology using this most valuable word, since everybody – including Russians, \u00ab\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u043e!\u00bb<\/strong> [of course!] – love to get something for free (or to have it paid by someone else for that matter…)<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041d\u0430 \u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0443 \u0438 \u0443<\/span>\u043a\u0441\u0443\u0441 \u0441\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u043a\u0438\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> – [“Anything that’s free is good”; lit.<\/em> “Even vinegar is sweet if it’s free”].<\/p>\n

But \u00ab\u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> doesn’t just mean something that’s a ‘freebie’<\/em>, it can also mean that something is just ‘easy’<\/em>, something that one doesn’t have to work much for – effortless, in other words. \u00ab\u0425\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> is used in this meaning in the phrase \u00ab\u0423\u0447\u0451<\/span>\u0431\u0430 \u0437\u0434\u0435\u0441\u044c – \u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u0430!\u00bb<\/strong> [\u2018it’s really easy to study here’; or \u2018it doesn’t take much brains to study here’]. And don’t forget that this noun also has an adjective – \u00ab\u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u044b\u0439\u00bb<\/strong>! So now you can say \u00ab\u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0443<\/span>\u0436\u0438\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [free dinner] if you didn’t have to pay for dinner, and \u00ab\u0445\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [easy job] if you didn’t have to put any effort into it at all. Very practical, isn’t it?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Going through pictures from my visit to beautiful Kurgan in July, I came across this one of a very special place – \u00ab\u041c\u0443\u0437\u044b\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u043a\u0438<\/span>\u043e\u0441\u043a \u0412\u044b\u0441\u043e<\/span>\u0446\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong> [Vysotsky’<\/a>s Musical Kiosk]. What is it? It is a kiosk that plays the music of Vladimir Vysotsky 24\/7! Definitely a place not to be missed \u00ab\u0432 \u0441\u0442\u043e\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0446\u0435 \u0417\u0430\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u044f<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong> [in the capital of \u2018Behind the Urals’]!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Looking through pictures from a couple of absolutely lovely and lazy summer days spent with my friend Marina’s family \u00ab\u0432 \u041a\u0443\u0440\u0433\u0430\u043d\u0435\u00bb [in Kurgan] in July, I came across this one: \u00ab\u041a\u0430\u0444\u0435 \u0421\u0442\u0430\u0440\u0430\u044f \u041f\u0440\u0430\u0433\u0430. 20 \u0438\u044e\u043b\u044f \u0432 18.00. \u0412\u0445\u043e\u0434 \u0431\u0435\u0441\u043f\u043b\u0430\u0442\u043d\u043e (\u0425\u0410\u041b\u042f\u0412\u0410) :-)\u00bb [Caf\u00e9 Old Prague. July 20th at 18-00. Entrance free of charge (FREEBIE) :-)]. And…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8],"tags":[1075,1235,1297,1816,1774],"class_list":["post-409","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language","tag-freebie","tag-russian-freebie","tag-russian-word-of-the-week","tag-1816","tag-1774"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t