Thread: Hello: I'd Appreciate Some Help

So, I have an oral exam this Tuesday. I only have to know these little tongue twisters in the Russian (to check pronunciation) however I'd like to know what they mean. I know enough to get the gist but as I am just starting out with Russian I really don't trust myself yet as far as translations go. We also have to know "If You Don't Have an Aunt" from "Enjoy your Bath" but I know one (I find it quite funny)

Уже ужи в луже. Хвалю халву. Щуку я тащу, тащу – щуку я не упущу
У быка губа тупа, бык тупогуб.
Карл у Клары украл кораллы, а Клара у Карла украла кларнет.
Пришёл Прокоп – кипит укроп,
Ушёл Прокоп - кипит укроп,
И при Прокопе кипит укроп,
И без Прокопа кипит укроп.

У попа была собака – он её любил.
Она Съела кусок мяса – он её убил.
В землю закопал, на могиле написал....

“Вы любите ли сыр?” – спросили раз ханжу,
Люблю, - он отвечал,- я вкус в нем нахожу.

Смотри в корень!


I'm going to try and work through them as well but it'd be really nice to have something to check mine against to make sure I'm on track. Thank you very much to anyone who ca help me out.

Originally Posted by JustWill

We also have to know "If You Don't Have an Aunt" from "Enjoy your Bath" but I know one (I find it quite funny)

So do I. (: Nikitin has sung it in that film.

Originally Posted by JustWill

Уже ужи в луже. Хвалю (?) халву. (Or was it "хвала халве"? I have never heard this one.) Щуку я тащу-тащу – щуку я не упущу.
У быка губа тупа, бык тупогуб.
Карл у Клары украл кораллы, а Клара у Карла украла кларнет.
Пришёл Прокоп – кипит укроп,
Ушёл Прокоп - кипит укроп,
И при Прокопе кипит укроп,
И без Прокопа кипит укроп.

У попа была собака – он её любил.
Она съела кусок мяса – он её убил.
В землю закопал, на могиле написал...

“Вы любите ли сыр?” – спросили раз ханжу,
Люблю, - он отвечал,- я вкус в нем нахожу.

Смотри в корень!
I know only "Зри в корень". (:

Now I have to go, sorry. I'm sure someone will translate them for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lP5ZKEbZjo (with English subtytles)

Если у вас нету дома, пожары ему не страшны
И жена не уйдёт к другому,
Если у вас, если у вас
Если у вас нет жены,
Нету жены

Если у вас нет собаки, её не отравит сосед
И с другом не будет драки,
Если у вас, если у вас,
Если у вас друга нет, друга нет

Оркестр гремит басами, трубач выдувает медь
Думайте сами, решайте сами:
Иметь или не иметь

Если у вас нету тёти, то вам её не потерять
И если вы не живёте, то вам и не, то вам и не
То вам и не умирать, не умирать

Оркестр гремит басами, трубач выдувает медь
Думайте сами, решайте сами:
Иметь или не иметь, иметь или не иметь

I kniw "If You Don't have an Aunt" but thank you anyway, I will enjoy the video

Originally Posted by Zaya

Originally Posted by JustWill

We also have to know "If You Don't Have an Aunt" from "Enjoy your Bath" but I know one (I find it quite funny)

So do I. (: Nikitin has sung it in that film.

Originally Posted by JustWill

Уже ужи в луже. Хвалю (?) халву. (Or was it "хвала халве"? I have never heard this one.) Щуку я тащу-тащу – щуку я не упущу.
У быка губа тупа, бык тупогуб.
Карл у Клары украл кораллы, а Клара у Карла украла кларнет.
Пришёл Прокоп – кипит укроп,
Ушёл Прокоп - кипит укроп,
И при Прокопе кипит укроп,
И без Прокопа кипит укроп.

У попа была собака – он её любил.
Она съела кусок мяса – он её убил.
В землю закопал, на могиле написал...

“Вы любите ли сыр?” – спросили раз ханжу,
Люблю, - он отвечал,- я вкус в нем нахожу.

Смотри в корень!
I know only "Зри в корень". (:

Now I have to go, sorry. I'm sure someone will translate them for you.

Thank you

I think I corrected all the typos

Something like this:

Originally Posted by JustWill

Уже ужи в луже.

Grass-snakes are already in the pool. (Or, depending on stress of "уже", "Grass-snakes in the pool are more narrow.")

Хвалю халву.

I commend halva. (Halva is a sweet paste made of sunflower seeds after they crushed for the oil.)

Щуку я тащу, тащу – щуку я не упущу

I haul a pike (fish), I haul, I won't let it go.

У быка губа тупа, бык тупогуб.

A lip of a bull is blunt, bool is blunt-liped.

Карл у Клары украл кораллы, а Клара у Карла украла кларнет.

Carl have stolen corals from Clara, and Clara have stolen a clarinet from Carl.
(Or Karl and Klara maybe. Very well known tongue twister. Good way to train strong R.)

Пришёл Прокоп – кипит укроп,
Ушёл Прокоп - кипит укроп,
И при Прокопе кипит укроп,
И без Прокопа кипит укроп.

Prokop came and dill is boiling, (perhaps dill water)
Prokop gone and dill is boiling.
Both with Prokop the dill is boiling
And without Prokop the dill is boiling.

У попа была собака – он её любил.
Она Съела кусок мяса – он её убил.
В землю закопал, на могиле написал....

A priest had a dog, he liked her. (or "liked it" or whatever pronoun to refer to the dog.)
She had eaten a piece of meat, he killed her.
And buried, and wrote on the grave...
(Very well known "endless story").

“Вы любите ли сыр?” – спросили раз ханжу,
Люблю, - он отвечал,- я вкус в нем нахожу.

"Do you like a cheese" a hypocrite once was asked,
"I do", - he answered, - "I found it full of true taste".

Смотри в корень!

Behold the root!

(Two last entries are by Kozma Prutkov. It's a rather specific kind of irony, not sure I was able to translate it adequately.)

PS In addition more tongue twisters.

Самозащищающаяся женщина.
Self-defending woman.

Еду я по выбоине, из выбоины не выеду я.
I am driving along the pothole, I can't drive out of the pothole.
(This one is very difficult for true native speakers.)

PPS Welcome to correct errors in my English.

Смотри в корень!
Behold the root!

(Two last entries are by Kozma Prutkov. It's a rather specific kind of irony, not sure I was able to translate it adequately.)

I do remember reading "Зри в корень" in that book. It could be just another edition, of course. The meaning is the same, anyway. (:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kozma_Prutkov

Никто не обнимет необъятного.
...
Плюнь тому в глаза, кто скажет, что можно обнять необъятное!
...
Опять скажу: никто не обнимет необъятного!

Now people mostly say just "Нельзя объять необъятное" (one cannot embrace unembraceable).

These are also popular:
Бди! (Be vigilant/watchful!)
Если хочешь быть счастливым, будь им. (If you want to be happy, be.)
Если у тебя есть фонтан, заткни его; дай отдохнуть и фонтану. (If you have a fountain, plug it up. Let the fountain too have a rest.)
Если на клетке слона прочтёшь надпись «буйвол», не верь глазам своим. (When seeing a "buffalo" sign on a cage with an elephant - do not believe your eyes.)

Карл у Клары украл кораллы, а Клара у Карла украла кларнет.

На дворе трава, на траве дрова, не руби дрова на траве двора. (There is grass in the yard, there are logs on the grass, don't chop the logs on the grass of the yard.)
Шла Саша по шоссе и сосала сушку. (Sasha was walking along the road and sucking on a sushka.)

I would say that these three are classics of Russian tongue twisters. )) There are also others very popular. )

Originally Posted by JustWill

Thank you

I think I corrected all the typos

You have forgotten one. In your verse "съела" should be written with a lower-case letter, while it's not a name (it's just a verb , the past form of "съесть") and not the first word in the sentence/line.
We usually correct mistakes and even typos of each other. Not always (it is not a must), but often. There are many learners of Russian and English here, including beginners, who cannot notice mistakes themselves.
You are welcome!

Hello it-ogo, here are my suggested corrections , /alternative or optional words, and comments regarding your English:

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Something like this:

Originally Posted by JustWill

Уже ужи в луже.

Grass snakes (no hyphen) are already in the pool. (Or, depending on stress of "уже", "Grass-snakes in the pool are more narrow.")

Хвалю халву.

I commend halva. (Halva is a sweet paste made of sunflower seeds after they are crushed for the oil.)

[quote:2s76z6m6]Щуку я тащу, тащу – щуку я не упущу

I haul in/reel in a pike (fish), I haul in/reel in , I won't let it go.

У быка губа тупа, бык тупогуб.

[s:2s76z6m6]A[/s:2s76z6m6] The lip of a bull is blunt, a [s:2s76z6m6]bool[/s:2s76z6m6] bull is blunt-lipped.

Карл у Клары украл кораллы, а Клара у Карла украла кларнет.

Carl [s:2s76z6m6]have[/s:2s76z6m6] has stolen corals from Clara, and Clara [s:2s76z6m6]have[/s:2s76z6m6] has stolen a clarinet from Carl.
(Or Karl and Klara maybe. A very well known tongue twister. It's a good way to train strong Rs.)

Пришёл Прокоп – кипит укроп,
Ушёл Прокоп - кипит укроп,
И при Прокопе кипит укроп,
И без Прокопа кипит укроп.

Prokop came and dill is boiling, (perhaps dill water)
Prokop has gone/Prokop left and dill is boiling.
[s:2s76z6m6]Both[/s:2s76z6m6] And with Prokop near the dill is boiling
And without Prokop here the dill is boiling.

У попа была собака – он её любил.
Она Съела кусок мяса – он её убил.
В землю закопал, на могиле написал....

A priest had a dog, he liked her. (or "liked it" or whatever pronoun to refer to the dog.)
She had eaten a piece of meat, so he killed her.
And buried her, and wrote on the gravestone...
(A very well known "endless story").

“Вы любите ли сыр?” – спросили раз ханжу,
Люблю, - он отвечал,- я вкус в нем нахожу.

"Do you like a piece of cheese?"/Do you like cheese?" a hypocrite once was asked,
"I do", - he answered, - "I [s:2s76z6m6]found[/s:2s76z6m6] find it [s:2s76z6m6]full of true taste[/s:2s76z6m6] truly tasty".

Смотри в корень!

Behold the root!

(Two last entries are by Kozma Prutkov. It's a rather specific kind of irony, not sure I was able to translate it adequately.)

PS In addition more tongue twisters.

Самозащищающаяся женщина.
Self-defending woman. Maybe: self-defensive woman, self-justifying woman, or independent woman or liberated woman

Еду я по выбоине, из выбоины не выеду я.
I am driving [s:2s76z6m6]along[/s:2s76z6m6] over [s:2s76z6m6]the[/s:2s76z6m6] a pothole, now I can't drive out of the pothole.
(This one is very difficult for true native speakers.)

PPS You are welcome to correct errors in my English. [/quote:2s76z6m6]

Originally Posted by Zaya

I do remember reading "Зри в корень" in that book. It could be just another edition, of course. The meaning is the same, anyway. (:

Of cause originally "Зри", I remember. I think someone simplfied the text to use as an excercise. Therefore I translated it as "behold", not as "look" or smth.

Originally Posted by Ken Watts

Hello it-ogo, here are my suggested corrections , /alternative or optional words, and comments

Thank you! And sorry for misprints. This have-has do-does rule is a plague for me: I remember the rule but still can not make a written habit.

Grass snakes (no hyphen)

Hmm... I found it in a vocabulary with hyphen.

"Do you like a piece of cheese?" a hypocrite once was asked,

Actually it was not a proposition of the piece of cheese but a question about general preferences. "Do you enjoy cheese?" - Is it correct?

...it [s:2yz781bm]full of true taste[/s:2yz781bm] truly tasty".

Hmmm... It was intentional attempt to reproduce the confusing wordplay of the original sentence. Is it OK as intentional wordplay?

Самозащищающаяся женщина.
Self-defending woman. Maybe: self-defensive woman, self-justifying woman, or independent woman or liberated woman

Oh, don't be so serious! It is just a tongue-twister with no reasonable context and no much sense. Actually it sounds more like "woman in fight" or maybe "fightable woman" to keep the original comic effect.
BTW can you pronounce this phrase?

Actually it was not a proposition of the piece of cheese but a question about general preferences.

+1.
Literally he was asked "Do you love cheese?", and he answered "Yes, what I love in it is it's taste" (but there is no need to mention it's taste that one can like in cheese). It is the way I understand this quote.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Grass snakes (no hyphen)

Hmm... I found in in a vocabulary with hyphen.
Well I don't see a need for a hyphen, and I got it here without a hyphen: http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/grass%2520snake.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/top ... rass-snake

[quote:3sytlxgo]"Do you like a piece of cheese?" a hypocrite once was asked,

Actually it was not a proposition of the piece of cheese but a question about general preferences. "Do you enjoy cheese?" - Is it correct?
Yes. When I inserted "piece of" I was showing how the article "a" could be used.

...it [s:3sytlxgo]full of true taste[/s:3sytlxgo] truly tasty".

Hmmm... It was intentional attempt to reproduce the confusing wordplay of the original sentence. Is it OK as intentional wordplay?
Yes, but I would still change "found" to "find" to match the present tense in the first sentence.]

Самозащищающаяся женщина.
Self-defending woman. Maybe: self-defensive woman, self-justifying woman, or independent woman or liberated woman

Oh, don't be so serious! It is just a tongue-twister with no reasonable context and no much sense. Actually it sounds more like "woman in fight" or maybe "fightable woman" to keep the original comic effect.
OK I wasn't sure of the meaning, that is why I said "maybe". "Fightable woman" reminds me of:

battleax - 2. ferocious woman: an offensive term for a woman who is considered domineering and fearsome ( insult )

Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2009) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/battleax.html

battleax - 2 : a usually older woman who is sharp-tongued, domineering, or combative

Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary (2009) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/battleax.html
BTW can you pronounce this phrase?
No, but I don't speak Russian. I would have to check the sounds of some of the letters, break it up into pieces, say each piece real slow many times, then try to speed it up, and I am sure it would not sound anything like how a native Russian might say it.[/quote:3sytlxgo]

Thank you all so much. I appreciate the help. I have several tests this week but soon I hope to be more regular here and get more comftorable with my Russian