Thread: few words in sentences (RU->EN)

I got another mail from this girl, who is studying at university, yet seems to have difficulties spelling russian words. Thought spelling was piece of cake in a phonetic language.

Are the red words spelled wrong ? What should they be ? And what do they mean ?

Могу ли я у вас
попросить еще какое <font color=red>нибудь</font> фото в простой <font color=red>жизненой</font>(естественной) обстановке.

I know естественной = natural - But what is the other word ? And how to they differ ?

В марте у меня будет <font color=red>сесия</font> в институте
Best guess is sessions (she is going to lectures).

Если быть <font color=red>откравенной</font> то мне трудно представить

I think I got the meaning, so it is more curiosity about the words

Yes, she spelled some words a bit wrong. I would put a hyphen between какое and нибудь: какое-нибудь. The next word should be "жизненной", and she means here "everyday life." So she wanted a picture in some everyday or "natural" setting. The next word - сессия - means exam week. As for откравенной, it's got to be the word откровенный in the feminine instrumental(the o is unstressed in this word, which is why she spelled it like that). She means to be open or frank.

About spelling in a phonetic language being easy, that's exactly the type of spelling mistake she made: spelling everything phonetically

Using my paper dictionery instead of the computer, I found that откравенной = открoвенной = frankly. So this is another example of the phonetic language being not-so-phonetic-after-all
You still did not tell waht какое-нибудь means. But this combination means any.

Thanks for the help this time.

I did not tell you what "kakoe-nibud" means because I thought you already knew this word It means "any" or "some sort of." The -nibud ending is what gives it that meaning; if it was "kakoe-to", it'd be referring to a specific thing, a photo in this case. You can use these endings with other question words as well; for example "kto-nibud"(some person), "kto-to"(some specific person).

Originally Posted by povlhp

Могу ли я у вас попросить еще какое <font color=red>нибудь</font> фото в простой <font color=red>жизненой</font>(естественной) обстановке.

какое-нибудь is one word (= some). жизненной = adj. everyday

Originally Posted by povlhp

В марте у меня будет <font color=red>сесия</font> в институте Best guess is sessions (she is going to lectures).

You are right. The right spelling is "сессия".

Originally Posted by povlhp

Если быть <font color=red>откравенной</font>, то мне трудно представить ...

The right spelling is "откровенной" (= forthright). btw, "Если быть откровенной, ..." is an ideom like "Честно говоря, ...".

More help please:

The 2 translation engives I use are a bit weak on this:

Поэтому радоваться вместе пасхальным праздникам не получится.

It is the 2 words they seems to have trouble with. My own dictionary translation comes up with:
Therefore please together easter holiday not receive/turn-out.

So - she prefers me not to come visit her during easter ? The please/радоваться word is confusing here.

Machine translations gives:
Therefore to be pleased together to easter holidays will fail.
Therefore to be glad at together Easter holidays will not come out.

Something like "So we can't enjoy Easter together; it won't work out." As for if that includes you, I need more context. Perhaps she's talking about her relatives or something.

I know the context, and it involves me Easter is too close to examn for her.

But here is the context
Мой учебный план немного изменился, следующую сессию перенесли на апрель (с 18 апреля по 7 мая). Поэтому радоваться вместе пасхальным праздникам не получится.

BTW: Do russians know that easter is march 20 to march 28th ? New Year is at another time I have been told. As far as I can see, the eastern easter is later than the western easter. When is the Easter in Russia 2005 ?

Originally Posted by povlhp

I know the context, and it involves me Easter is too close to examn for her.

Yes, it means that she will be busy because of the exams and Pravit's translation is absolutely correct. As for your coming, I think it's better to ask her directly.

I have asked her, just waiting for answer. I think they main problem, given the dates above, is that I am thinking western easter, she is thinking russian easter (5th of may)