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Thread: где бы то ни было

  1. #1
    Завсегдатай Antonio1986's Avatar
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    где бы то ни было

    "Серия терактов в Париже подтверждает правоту России в том, что нет хороших и плохих террористов, что следует уничтожать терроризм где бы то ни было и для этого нужны совместные усилия, считает сенатор Андрей Клишас"

    How is translated this expression?
    Чем больше слов, тем меньше они стоят.

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    Властелин iCake's Avatar
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    wherever or all over.

    it's imperative that we destroy terrorism where it is../all over
    I do not claim that my opinion is absolutely true.
    If you've spotted any mistake in my English, please, correct it. I want to be aware of any mistakes to efficiently eliminate them before they become a habit.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Antonio1986 View Post
    где бы то ни было
    Let's try to parse:
    где=where
    бы=probability/subjunctive, so "где бы" becomes "wherever"
    то=that/it
    ни было="was not" with subjunctive means "is".
    So it is something like "wherever it is" meaning "no matter where it is".

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    Завсегдатай Throbert McGee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex80 View Post
    Let's try to parse:
    где=where
    бы=probability/subjunctive, so "где бы" becomes "wherever"
    то=that/it
    ни было="was not" with subjunctive means "is".
    So it is something like "wherever it is" meaning "no matter where it is".
    More generally, you can use other "question words" like кто, что, как, когда, какой, (от)куда, and so forth, in combination with бы and ни, to express the idea of "whenever" or "no matter what" or "whatever kind of person someone is," etc.

    A very useful construction to know, in other words.

    ЗЫ: The second verse of the famous pop-song Разговор со счастьем has the following lines:

    Тот, кто ждёт, всё снесёт,
    Как бы жизнь ни била
    Лишь бы всё, это всё
    Не напрасно было.

    "He who waits can endure/withstand everything,
    No matter how life beats him up,
    As long as all of this
    Was not [all] pointless / in vain."




    Incidentally, I've checked on YouTube and it always surprises me that -- as far as I can tell -- this song has never been performed in a "tango version"! It would make a rather sexy and romantic duet if set to a tango rhythm.
    Lampada and Alex80 like this.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Antonio1986 View Post
    уничтожать терроризм где бы то ни было
    destroy terrorists no matter where they exist

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    Завсегдатай Throbert McGee's Avatar
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    I can't find a confirmed source for the saying "Wherever you go, there you are" -- I thought it was American baseball player Yogi Berra (legendary for his "accidentally Zen" quotes) but apparently not.

    But in any case, would it be correct to translate it as "Куда ты бы ни пошёл/поехал, туда ты попадёшься"?
    Говорит Бегемот: "Dear citizens of MR -- please correct my Russian mistakes!"

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    Завсегдатай maxmixiv's Avatar
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    I believe, yes, but with tiny corrections:
    "Куда б ты не пошёл, туда и попадёшь"

    попадаться = to be caught
    "Невозможно передать смысл иностранной фразы, не разрушив при этом её первоначальную структуру."

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    Moderator Lampada's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by maxmixiv View Post
    I believe, yes, but with tiny corrections:
    "Куда б ты не пошёл, туда и попадёшь"

    попадаться = to be caught
    Я думаю, что у Роберта правильно было: Куда б ты ни пошёл...

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Throbert McGee View Post
    "Куда ты бы ни пошёл/поехал, туда ты попадёшься"?
    It does sound like Odessa speak)

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