<\/p>\n
\u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0301 (nothing) one of these seemingly basic words that you learn in the first months of learning Russian. However, it is also one that appears in a number of idioms and expressions that are not immediately obvious to the learner.<\/p>\n
1. \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e for doing well<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e is a popular response to the question “\u041a\u0430\u043a \u0434\u0435\u043b\u0430\u0301?” It is a neutral answer, roughly equivalent to “alright.” Another answer with a similar meaning is “\u041d\u043e\u0440\u043c\u0430\u0301\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e” or “\u041f\u043e\u0442\u0438\u0445\u043e\u0301\u043d\u044c\u043a\u0443.”<\/p>\n 2. \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e (\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0448\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e) for no worries<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e can also be a response to “\u0418\u0437\u0432\u0438\u043d\u0438\u0301\u0442\u0435” (I’m sorry) or any other apology or explanation.<\/p>\n – \u042f \u0437\u0430\u0431\u044b\u0301\u043b \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0301\u0442\u044c \u0446\u0432\u0435\u0442\u044b\u0301 (I forgot to water the flowers).<\/p>\n – \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0301 \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0448\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e (That’s OK).<\/p>\n 3. \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0301 \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435! for surprise<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435 is used to express surprise or amazement. Many people oppose what they see as unjustified use of borrowed interjections like “\u0432\u0430\u0301\u0443” (wow) and prefer to use expressions like \u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435 or \u0443\u0301\u0445 \u0442\u044b!<\/p>\n – \u0423 \u043c\u043e\u0435\u0301\u0439 \u0431\u0430\u0301\u0431\u0443\u0448\u043a\u0438 \u0431\u044b\u0301\u043b\u043e \u043f\u044f\u0301\u0442\u0435\u0440\u043e \u0434\u0435\u0442\u0435\u0301\u0439 (My grandma had five children).<\/p>\n – \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435! (Oh wow!)<\/p>\n \u041d\u0438 \u0444\u0438\u0433\u0430\u0301 \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435<\/a> is a colloquial and some would say vulgar variant of this phrase. There are many other similar expressions, some quite vulgar, that follow the same syntactic pattern and convey amazement.<\/p>\n 4. \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e for approval<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e can also mean that something or someone is alright or cool. “\u0410 \u0434\u043e\u0301\u043c\u0438\u043a \u0443 \u043d\u0438\u0445 \u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e” (Their house is not too shabby). When used about a person, this usually refers to their looks. “\u0410 \u0441\u043e\u0441\u0435\u0301\u0434\u043a\u0430-\u0442\u043e \u0432\u043f\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0435\u0301 \u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0301” (Our neighbor is quite alright).<\/p>\n 5. \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c for acceptance<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0301 \u043d\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0435\u0301\u043b\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c is used to express resignation and acceptance of the situation. Literally, the phrase means “there’s nothing we can do.”<\/p>\n \u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c, \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0448\u043b\u043e\u0301\u0441\u044c \u0432\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0301\u0447\u0430\u0442\u044c \u041d\u043e\u0301\u0432\u044b\u0439 \u0433\u043e\u0434 \u0432 \u0430\u044d\u0440\u043e\u043f\u043e\u0440\u0442\u0443\u0301. – We had no choice but to celebrate the New Year at the airport. [As you may know, New Year’s is the biggest holiday of the year in Russia, and you don’t want to miss out on it.]<\/p>\n Are there any other expressions with \u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e you can think of? This seemingly simple word is used in ways that may be unique to Russian and not obvious from its primary meaning, so I hope this post is useful. I would like to finish it with a song that makes extensive use of this word.<\/p>\n