{"id":4567,"date":"2013-03-07T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2013-03-07T08:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=4567"},"modified":"2013-03-07T05:41:38","modified_gmt":"2013-03-07T05:41:38","slug":"how-to-curse-like-a-russian-kindergartner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/how-to-curse-like-a-russian-kindergartner\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Curse Like a Russian Kindergartner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, my friends, is the day to learn some Russian curse words. The signs are all here – the Chelyabinsk meteor, the asteroid flyby, the unbelievable \u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0434\u0435\u043e \u0441 \u0430<\/span>\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0435\u0433\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432<\/strong> (dashcam videos). These videos alone make you want to curse a blue streak. However, keeping in mind that just like the great and mighty Russian language, Russian \u043c\u0430\u0442<\/strong> (swear words) is rich and complex, it\u2019s best to take some baby steps instead of jumping right in.<\/p>\n

So today we\u2019re going to learn a few words every Russian \u0434\u0435\u0442\u0441\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0446<\/strong> (preschooler\/kindergartner) knows. Before we set off, a couple of \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0443\u043f\u0440\u0435\u0436\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f<\/strong> (warnings).<\/p>\n

Warning #0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This post is about Russian curse words. The curses are pretty mild, but if you are easily offended, skip this post altogether.<\/p>\n

Warning #1<\/strong><\/p>\n

What you are going to learn today is pretty mild, the curse words used by children, mostly very young children. Unless otherwise specified, adults do not use these very mild curses.<\/p>\n

Warning #2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, these are mild curses, but they are still not appropriate \u0432 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u043e\u043c \u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0449\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435<\/strong> (in a polite society). So learn them to understand things you hear, but avoid saying these words. Or you might end up looking like \u043a\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0433\u043b\u044b\u0439 \u0434\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> (a total fool).<\/p>\n

Speaking of the words \u0434\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> (a fool, masculine) and \u0434\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0430<\/strong> (a fool, feminine), these are some of the first bad words children learn. As kids grow, they expand their vocabulary with \u0434\u0435\u0431\u0438<\/span>\u043b\/\u0434\u0435\u0431\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (moron), \u0438\u0434\u0438\u043e<\/span>\u0442\/\u0438\u0434\u0438\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (idiot), and \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0434\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u043a<\/strong> (a fool). \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0434\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u043a<\/strong> is grammatically peculiar since it doesn\u2019t have a feminine form.<\/p>\n

Preschoolers might use this \u0434\u0440\u0430\u0437\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (a jeer) which, although making no sense in English, has a sing-song quality in Russian: \u041f\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u043a\u0430 – \u0434\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043a, \u043a\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u0442 \u0442\u0430\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u043a, \u0434\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u0430 \u043d\u0435 \u043d\u043e\u0447\u0443<\/span>\u0435\u0442, \u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0432\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043a \u0446\u0435\u043b\u0443<\/span>\u0435\u0442<\/strong> (Petya is a fool, smokes tobacco, does not spend nights at home, kisses girls). Of course, feel free to substitute \u041f\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u043a\u0430<\/strong> with your nemesis’ name, although \u041b\u0435\u043a\u0441 \u041b\u044e<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u0440 – \u0434\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> (Lex Luthor is a fool) sounds a bit awkward.<\/p>\n

Grown-ups might say \u041c\u043e\u044f<\/span> \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u044f \u043d\u0430\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430 – \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0434\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u0430<\/strong>. (My new female boss is a fool and a total fool) and \u042d<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0442 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0434\u0443<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u043a \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0445\u0430\u043b \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0441\u0432\u0435\u0442<\/strong> (This moron drove through the red light).<\/p>\n

Next up is the word \u043a\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (poop). Come to think of it, this is the first bad word Russian kids learn and learn well. I\u2019d say, by the time a Russian child reaches a ripe old age of three, she might hear this word oh, well, a few thousand times.<\/p>\n

Since it\u2019s such an important curse word to know, let\u2019s track it through its stages of development:<\/p>\n

Toddlers are first introduced to the word \u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (poo) in a sense of \u201cdirty disgusting thing that should not be shoved into one\u2019s mouth or even touched\u201d as in \u0424\u0443, \u0431\u0440\u043e\u0441\u044c \u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0443!<\/strong> (Yuck, drop this bad thing!)<\/p>\n

Preschoolers quickly outgrow the \u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0430<\/strong> stage and move on to a much funnier sounding \u043a\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430<\/strong>. Many Russian names can be made to rhyme with this word as in \u041c\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430-\u043a\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430, \u0421\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430-\u043a\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430, \u041f\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430-\u043a\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

However, pretty soon kids abandon the word \u043a\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0430<\/strong> and move on to the next level, namely the word \u0433\u043e\u0432\u043d\u043e<\/span><\/strong> (sh*t, crap). \u0413\u043e\u0432\u043d\u043e<\/span><\/strong> is an adult-level bad word and is very rude. But in the interests of language learning, here are some examples:<\/p>\n

Children might say \u0442\u0435\u0431\u0435<\/span> \u0441\u043c\u0435\u0448\u043d\u043e<\/span>, \u0430 \u043c\u043d\u0435 \u043e\u0431\u0438<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u043e, \u0442\u0435\u0431\u0435<\/span> – \u0433\u043e\u0432\u043d\u043e<\/span>, \u0430 \u043c\u043d\u0435 – \u043f\u043e\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0434\u043b\u043e<\/strong> (you are laughing, I am wronged, you get sh*t and I get jam). Again, this doesn\u2019t make any sense in English, but at least in Russian it rhymes.<\/p>\n

Adults might say \u042d<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0442 \u0444\u0438\u043b\u044c\u043c – \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u0433\u043e\u0432\u043d\u043e<\/span><\/strong> (This movie is total crap) or \u0422\u044b \u0447\u0442\u043e, \u043f\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0438\u043b \u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438 \u043d\u0430 \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u043e \u0433\u043e\u0432\u043d\u043e<\/span>?!<\/strong> (Did you really spend money on this crap?!) or they might sing this song<\/a>. You might also hear an adjective \u0433\u043e\u0432\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044b\u0439<\/strong> (crappy) and a verb \u0433\u043e\u0432\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong> (to act sh**ty).<\/p>\n

So we just got from \u0434\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> to \u0433\u043e\u0432\u043d\u043e<\/span><\/strong> and that\u2019s a pretty steep slope (whether down or up, you decide). Isn\u2019t there a middle of the road Russian curse word we can learn? Of course there is. The next word is \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430<\/strong> (butt).<\/p>\n

Ok, \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430<\/strong> is really not a curse word at all nor is it bad. It is a perfectly appropriate synonym for \u044f\u0433\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0446\u0430<\/strong> (buttock) as in \u043a\u0430\u043a \u043f\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u0438\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e \u0441\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0443\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043b \u0432 \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0443<\/strong> (how to properly administer injection into the buttocks). As a side note, in Russia injections into the buttocks seem to be the preferred method of administering intramuscular injections<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A slightly less appropriate word with the same meaning as \u043f\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430<\/strong> is \u0437\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430<\/strong>, literally \u201cthe behind\u201d. Some of the most common adult uses seem to be \u0442\u044b \u0441\u0435\u0439\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0441 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u0438\u0448\u044c \u043f\u043e \u0437\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0435<\/strong> (you\u2019ll get your butt whooped soon), said to a misbehaving child, and a phrase \u0437\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0443 \u043e\u0442\u0441\u0438<\/span>\u0436\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/strong>, meaning to spend a lot of time sitting down. Children usually don\u2019t use this word.<\/p>\n

The next butt word on the rudeness scale is \u0436\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430<\/strong> (ass). It\u2019s rude, it\u2019s crude and kids use it a whole lot (and so do adults). The way kids use this word is pretty straightforward. It can be used as a jeer, such as the classic \u0422\u044b, \u0442\u044b, \u0442\u044b \u0436\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u043e\u0439 \u043d\u044e<\/span>\u0445\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c \u0446\u0432\u0435\u0442\u044b<\/span><\/strong> (You, you, you are smelling flowers with your ass). Or it can be used to say that someone is a bad person. \u041e\u043d –\u00a0\u0436\u043e\u043f\u0430, \u0432\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u0438\u043a \u043d\u0435 \u0434\u0430\u0441\u0442<\/strong> (He is a greedy bastard and won’t let you ride his bike).<\/p>\n

As kids grow up, their use of this curse word matures, becomes more sophisticated. Saying that someone is a \u0436\u043e<\/span>\u043f\u0430<\/strong> starts sounding very childish. There are other, stronger Russian curse words for this situation. Instead, adults use this word to<\/p>\n