Thread: Вот так.....??

I need help to explain these expression that I keep seeing:


Вот так, так!
Вот так!
Вот так вот!
Так-то вот!


And any other variations of this....

I can't find any information about it that I can understand.

What does it mean and how / when is it used?

To name a few.
Вот так, так! Oh, boy! Oh, my!
Вот так! That’s more or less how it all happened!
Вот так вот! = Так-то вот! That’s the way the cookie crumbles! Live and learn!

Great explanation!
Now it makes sense.
Thank you!

Maybe it's not 100% related to the question, but I guess "вот" in Russian works pretty much like "well" in English. You can put it everywhere. It won't change anything. Whenever I can't find my words, I just mumble one of these filler words, вот, так, значит, знаете, etc. Even it kinda sounds cool.

Good tip, thanks Misha!

Are there any more "вот" expressions that are good to know?

I once compiled a list from dictionary entries:

* вот как! = don't you say! Also: That's how it is!
* вот как … = and thus, that's how
* вот что! = don't you say!
* вот и всё = that's all
* вот-вот = any moment now, soon, in a minute; when used on it's own: exactly!
* (а) вот ещё! = No way! But also: Indeed! What else? What's next?
* так вот, … = Be that as it may
* вот так = that's it
* так-то вот! = exactly that way, just like that (agreement)
* вот так …! = (disapproving) here you have …, what a …
* вот тебе (и) на! = same as вот так-так!
* вот именно! = exactly, that's it
* вот в чём … = that is what ...
* вот это да! = That's it!
* вот и я! = here I am!
* вот тебе! = there you have it!
* вот тебе (и) раз = now you've done it, serves you right, what a mess

В. Высoцкий

Ну вот, исчезла дрожь в руках,
Теперь — наверх!
Ну вот, свалился в пропасть страх
Навек, навек.
Для остановки нет причин —
Иду, скользя...
И в мире нет таких вершин,
Что взять нельзя!


ABBYY Lingvo:
ну вот — 1) there you are 2) now what's this? 3) as I was saying

Originally Posted by Vadim Mo

В. Высoцкий

Ну вот, исчезла дрожь в руках, ...

viewtopic.php?f=61&t=5535&p=60284&hilit=%D0%B8%D1% 81%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%BB%D0%B0+%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%B E%D0%B6%D1%8C+%D0%B2+%D1%80%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8 5#p60284

Originally Posted by bitpicker

* так-то вот! = exactly that way, just like that (agreement)

'Так-то вот!" seems to be equal to "that's that":

Ты плохо себя вёл, поэтому папа не купит тебе телевизор, так-то вот!

Super helpful! thanks for the list, Robin!

Loved the Vysotsky song! Thanks Vadim and Lampada!

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It's funny how much you can learn from music without even know that you are learning. I guess many here learnt a lot of English that way!

I listened to a lot of Russian rock around 1990 or so, even though I didn't understand it (it was considered pretty cool by teens in Stockholm at the time...). A lot of phrases stuck on my mind from songs I heard many times, and now it's helping me to learn a few things faster.

Originally Posted by Полуношник

Ты плохо себя вёл, поэтому папа не купит тебе телевизор, так-то вот!

"Ты плохо себя вёл" = "you've been very naughty" [to a child] ??

Originally Posted by Hanna

"Ты плохо себя вёл" = "you've been very naughty" [to a child] ??

Yes.

How about the example from Kin Dza Dza, where one of the 'aliens' is showing how to "koo", he says each time 'Вот так' to mean "like this".

I can't really comment on the other usages here but I've observed that Вот is a big filler word in conversational Russian. Like "well..." or even "um...".