Thread: it has to "count for something"

Two questions

How do I say

1) That has to count for something

For example

Of course I can speak well in Russian, I studied it for 3 years! It has to count for something!


2) come off

Come off = fare in a specified way

For example

he always came off worse in an argument.
I met her parents finally, but I made a lot of dirty jokes and came off stupid.

1. Это о чём-то говорит. Это что-то значит.
2. I think there is no single equivalent. There are some examples:
to come off victorious - выйти победителем = "to exit as a winner"
to come off with honour - выйти с честью = "to exit with honour"
to come off cheap - дёшево отделаться = "to shake off cheap"
to come off clear - выйти сухим из воды = "to exit dry out of water"
to come off best in a fight - победить соперника в бою = "to win one's rival in a fight"
to come off a loser - остаться/оказаться в проигрыше = "to be left with a loss, to find oneself with a loss"

For this phrase "I met her parents finally, but I made a lot of dirty jokes and came off stupid" I would suggest "я выглядел глупо" (I looked silly).
And for the first one, "he always came off worse in an argument" - does it mean he always gives up easily? or that he is always won in an argument? or, is it saying "he always turns mad in an argument"?

1.
А это что-нибудь да значит!
Это вам не хухры-мухры!

2. В английском я не силён, но похоже, что в данном случае подойдёт перевод "выставил себя дураком".

Originally Posted by maxmixiv

Это вам не хухры-мухры!

This one is a slang expression.

I think mostly "to come off" = "оказаться"

Originally Posted by it-ogo

I think mostly "to come off" = "оказаться"

I would agree. But on the other hand, "to come off" (in the figurative sense that Valda uses here) is not a construction I would use very often as a US English speaker. Instead, I would probably use "come out (of) (as)" when the meaning is оказываться, or "come across (as)" when the meaning is closer to выглядеть. So:

He always came out worse in an argument. = He was always on the losing side of the argument.
I met her parents finally, but I made a lot of dirty jokes and came across as stupid. = (I seemed/looked stupid.)

So, "come off" as Valda used it sounds slightly UK-ish to me, even though I understand the meaning.

Throbert, I agree with you-- the example is taken from Oxford's dictionary (because I wanted to paste here the exact definition and not formulate my own), so you may be right. It felt a bit unnatural to me as well, I'd have used "come out", but I figured-- a dictionary can't be wrong :P

I think mostly "to come off" = "оказаться"

Excellent!

1. Это о чём-то говорит. Это что-то значит.

Also excellent!

to come off victorious - выйти победителем = "to exit as a winner"
to come off with honour - выйти с честью = "to exit with honour"
to come off cheap - дёшево отделаться = "to shake off cheap"
to come off clear - выйти сухим из воды = "to exit dry out of water"
to come off best in a fight - победить соперника в бою = "to win one's rival in a fight"
to come off a loser - остаться/оказаться в проигрыше = "to be left with a loss, to find oneself with a loss"

Great! Thank you Bob.