{"id":4884,"date":"2013-08-28T08:04:14","date_gmt":"2013-08-28T08:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=4884"},"modified":"2018-08-16T20:26:39","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T20:26:39","slug":"how-to-say-i-am-single-in-russian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/how-to-say-i-am-single-in-russian\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say “I am Single” in Russian"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Superstitious Russian young ladies know that May is the worst month to tie the knot. As the saying goes, \u0432 \u043c\u0430<\/span>\u0435 \u0432\u044b<\/span>\u0439\u0442\u0438 \u0437\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0443\u0436 – \u0432\u0435\u043a \u043c\u0430<\/span>\u044f\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong> (to get married in May is to throw life away). Which sounds like a perfect excuse for single men to stay \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong> just a bit longer.<\/p>\n

And the adjective \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong> is today\u2019s word. It means \u201csingle, never married\u201d, but usually applies to men. A man who is \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong> is known as \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong>. If we\u2019re talking about a single, never married woman, we might say she\u2019s a \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/strong>. Actually, the Russian-language versions of the popular reality TV shows, \u00a0Bachelor and Bachelorette are called \u0425\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> and \u0425\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/strong> respectively (you can find old seasons on YouTube).<\/p>\n

Technically\u00a0\u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> is someone who is neither contemplating marriage nor actively looking for his \u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u044f \u043f\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u0430<\/strong> (the second half).\u00a0Not to say that \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> cannot change his mind on the issue. That’s exactly what happened to \u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u044b\u0439 \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> (a confirmed bachelor) character in the now-classic \u0418\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f \u0441\u0443\u0434\u044c\u0431\u044b<\/span><\/strong> (the Irony of Fate) comedy.<\/p>\n

Someone who chooses to stay single for a while is also known as \u0443\u0431\u0435\u0436\u0434\u0451<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> (a committed bachelor) or \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0435\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u044b\u0439 \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> (an old bachelor, lit: someone rooted in bachelorhood). The two most famous \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0435\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u044b\u0435 \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f\u043a\u0438<\/span><\/strong> of Russian classical literature are, of course, \u0415\u0432\u0433\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u041e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0433\u0438\u043d<\/strong> (the hero of A. Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin”) and \u0413\u0440\u0438\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u0439 \u041f\u0435\u0447\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u043d<\/strong> (the hero of M. Lermontov’s “A Hero of Our Time”). I can’t think of a single \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0435\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u0430\u044f \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430<\/strong> of the Russian classical literature, can you?<\/p>\n

Speaking of marital situations, here are the options we have when disclosing \u0430\u043d\u043a\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0434\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0435<\/strong> (personal information).<\/p>\n

For men:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0425\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442<\/strong> \u00a0– single, never married<\/p>\n

\u041d\u0435 \u0436\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0442<\/strong> – unmarried (although might have been in the past)<\/p>\n

\u0416\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0442<\/strong> – married (known informally as \u0436\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0438\u043a<\/strong> as in \u042f \u0432\u043b\u044e\u0431\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0430\u0441\u044c \u0432 \u0436\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (I fell for a married guy))<\/p>\n

\u0420\u0430\u0437\u0432\u0435\u0434\u0451<\/span>\u043d<\/strong> – divorced<\/p>\n

\u0412\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0446<\/strong> – widower<\/p>\n

For women:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u041d\u0435 \u0437\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0443\u0436\u0435\u043c<\/strong> – unmarried (while a woman can write in \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u044f<\/strong>, it doesn’t seem common)<\/p>\n

\u0417\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0443\u0436\u0435\u043c<\/strong> – married<\/p>\n

\u0420\u0430\u0437\u0432\u0435\u0434\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span><\/strong> – divorced<\/p>\n

\u0412\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span><\/strong> – widow<\/p>\n

Now, you might think that the lifestyle a single person leads, the unmarried life, is called \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u044f \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u044c<\/strong>. Well, turns out there is another, a bit more common, phrase for it and it\u2019s \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u0446\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u044c<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u042d\u043d\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u0435 \u0418\u0433\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0438\u0430\u0441 \u0440\u0435\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u043b \u043d\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0446-\u0442\u043e \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0441 \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0439 \u0436\u0438<\/span>\u0437\u043d\u044c\u044e<\/strong> – Enrique Iglesias has finally decided to say goodbye to bachelorhood.<\/p>\n

\u042f\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430 \u043d\u0430 \u0443<\/span>\u0436\u0438\u043d – \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u043e \u043f\u043e-\u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u0446\u043a\u0438<\/strong>. – Fried eggs for dinner – that\u2019s bachelor style.<\/p>\n

\u041f\u043b\u044e<\/span>\u0441\u044b \u0438 \u043c\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u0443\u0441\u044b \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u0446\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u0436\u0438<\/span>\u0437\u043d\u0438<\/strong> – Pluses and minuses of being single.<\/p>\n

But what would you make of this headline<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u041f\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u0438\u043d \u043e\u0431\u0432\u0438\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043b \u043f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e \u0432 \u201c\u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0439 \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u201d \u043f\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0436\u043a\u0435 \u044d\u043a\u043e\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u0438\u043a\u0438.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is the Russian President accusing government officials of bachelorhood? Are they failing to support the economy by being single? What exactly is \u201c\u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u044f \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u0430<\/strong>\u201d?<\/p>\n

The answer is in another meaning of the word \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong> which is idle, not producing any results. For example, blank ammunition is \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044b<\/span>\u0435 \u043f\u0430\u0442\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u044b<\/strong>. To idle a car is to run it \u043d\u0430 \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043c \u0445\u043e\u0434\u0443<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So it appears the President chastised his government for working without producing any results, for idling.<\/p>\n

Finally, if you have a bachelor’s degree in something or other, the correct word to use is \u0431\u0430\u043a\u0430\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u0440<\/strong> as in<\/p>\n

\u042f \u043d\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0446-\u0442\u043e \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0443\u0447\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0430 \u0434\u0438\u043f\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u043c \u0431\u0430\u043a\u0430\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u0440\u0430 \u043b\u0438\u043d\u0433\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0438<\/strong> – I finally received my Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics<\/p>\n

And now, you can 1) read Eugene Onegin and\/or A Hero of Our Time, either in the original Russian or in English; 2) learn about Russian wedding customs and related words here<\/a>; 3) watch a comedy \u0416\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044b\u0439 \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044f<\/span>\u043a<\/strong> (A Married Bachelor) here<\/a>\u00a0or 4) compile a list of bachelors and bachelorettes of Russian classical literature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Superstitious Russian young ladies know that May is the worst month to tie the knot. As the saying goes, \u0432 \u043c\u0430\u0435 \u0432\u044b\u0439\u0442\u0438 \u0437\u0430\u043c\u0443\u0436 – \u0432\u0435\u043a \u043c\u0430\u044f\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f (to get married in May is to throw life away). Which sounds like a perfect excuse for single men to stay \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0439 just a bit longer. And the adjective…<\/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],"tags":[385640,1250,385642,60723,117504],"class_list":["post-4884","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-culture","category-language","tag-russian-for-beginners","tag-russian-literature","tag-russian-movies","tag-russian-phrases","tag-russian-wedding"],"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