Thread: Phrase from Agata Kristi - "Nezhivaya Voda"

I'm struggling with the meaning of this phrase. I think it is the double negatives that are throwing me off:

"Я все равно ничего не теряю"

Anyway I lose nothing
- something like this

Originally Posted by Leof

Anyway I lose nothing
- something like this

Or In any case, I am not losing anything here.

Thanks. Just for clarification, what is the meaning of "все" in this sentence? To my knowledge, it usually means "all".

It means 'all' as in 'all the same'... 'anyway'.

Another variation:

Anyway, I've got nothing to lose.

That would be the more common version, IMHO

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Another variation:

Anyway, I've got nothing to lose.

That would be the more common version, IMHO :)

I think there's a difference in Russian.
я ничего не теряю - I maybe have something to lose but I'm not going to lose it in any case
мне нечего терять - I don't have anything so I can't lose anything

[quote=net surfer]

Originally Posted by "kalinka_vinnie":s0depzhy

Another variation:

Anyway, I've got nothing to lose.

That would be the more common version, IMHO

I think there's a difference in Russian.
я ничего не теряю - I maybe have something to lose but I'm not going to lose it in any case
мне нечего терять - I don't have anything so I can't lose anything[/quote:s0depzhy]

There might be a difference in Russian, but you would translate the same way in Englisj

I've got nothing to lose - could mean: I have no valuables to lose, I am poor,; or, whatever happens I will not lose what I have.

Originally Posted by Vostfeltion

Thanks. Just for clarification, what is the meaning of "все" in this sentence? To my knowledge, it usually means "all".

"Все равно" is a steady phrase which means "anyway". "Все" separately means nothing here.

To expand on this question, if I'm asked what I would rather eat for dinner, chicken or beef, I think could answer "все равно" with the meaning of "it's all the same to me"/"I don't care." In what sense is this interpreted:
a) positively: I like both chicken and beef equally
b) negatively: I don't care -- you'/your food offends me for some reason
c) either -- it just depends on tone?

In most cases you'll be understood positiveley, i.e. you don't care what to have right now, anything will go.

[quote=kalinka_vinnie][quote="net surfer":lnlhz7be]

Originally Posted by "kalinka_vinnie":lnlhz7be

Another variation:

Anyway, I've got nothing to lose.

That would be the more common version, IMHO

I think there's a difference in Russian.
я ничего не теряю - I maybe have something to lose but I'm not going to lose it in any case
мне нечего терять - I don't have anything so I can't lose anything[/quote:lnlhz7be]

There might be a difference in Russian, but you would translate the same way in Englisj

I've got nothing to lose - could mean: I have no valuables to lose, I am poor,; or, whatever happens I will not lose what I have.[/quote:lnlhz7be]

Hmm... Is it so? For me that English phrase also sounds as in part (2) only, I would definitely not interpret it as "we are safe nothing can happen". If anything it sounds like a warning about something bad that is likely to happen, but that won't hurt our situation much since it's bad already, something like that.

[quote=laxxy][quote=kalinka_vinnie]

Originally Posted by "net surfer":ihnos1f6

Originally Posted by "kalinka_vinnie":ihnos1f6

Another variation:

Anyway, I've got nothing to lose.

That would be the more common version, IMHO

I think there's a difference in Russian.
я ничего не теряю - I maybe have something to lose but I'm not going to lose it in any case
мне нечего терять - I don't have anything so I can't lose anything

There might be a difference in Russian, but you would translate the same way in Englisj

I've got nothing to lose - could mean: I have no valuables to lose, I am poor,; or, whatever happens I will not lose what I have.[/quote:ihnos1f6]

Hmm... Is it so? For me that English phrase also sounds as in part (2) only, I would definitely not interpret it as "we are safe nothing can happen". If anything it sounds like a warning about something bad that is likely to happen, but that won't hurt our situation much since it's bad already, something like that.[/quote:ihnos1f6]

Let me explain it like this:

-You will lose your house, your family, everything!
- (ironic) I have nothing to lose (Мне нечего терять)

- This new project is a win-win situation!
- Yeah, we've got nothing to lose (мы ничего не теряем)

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

- This new project is a win-win situation!
- Yeah, we've got nothing to lose (мы ничего не теряем)

OK, thanks. Now I've learned something new.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

There might be a difference in Russian, but you would translate the same way in Englisj

I've got nothing to lose - could mean: I have no valuables to lose, I am poor,; or, whatever happens I will not lose what I have.

Oh, ok.