Results 1 to 15 of 15

Thread: I have a question.

  1. #1
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Кентукки, США
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    13

    I have a question.

    I have a question. Lets say I see a word like Женщина, and I translate it to zhenshchina. How would I go from zhenshchina to what it says in English? Also, I know it means woman, i'm just saying how to go from Russian, to what I would guess would be Latin, then to English.

    Thanks!

    (Sorry if this is in the incorrect section.)

  2. #2
    Завсегдатай chaika's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Чапелхилловка, NC USA
    Posts
    1,986
    Rep Power
    20
    zhenshchina is called a transliteration of женщина. Why would you want to transliterate the Russian word and then translate it?

    To translate the word directly, search Google for free online Russian-English translators. There are many, and probably even some that would translate transliterated Russian words.

  3. #3
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Кентукки, США
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    13
    Say that someone gives me just the transliterated word, like zhenshchina. I would want to, of course, put it in russian, but also know what it says in english.

    If that makes sense.

  4. #4
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Serving Polonium-flavoured Sake at a London Japanese Restaurant
    Posts
    2,662
    Rep Power
    15
    Quote Originally Posted by Notla
    Say that someone gives me just the transliterated word, like zhenshchina. I would want to, of course, put it in russian, but also know what it says in english.

    If that makes sense.
    No. It doesn't make any sense.
    The only thing you could do with it, is say "Hmmm...Zhenshchina. What does that mean? Well let me take the transliteration back into Russian here...Ok женщина. Now, let me look that up in my Russian-English dictionary. Oh, it means woman...."
    Заранее благодарю всех за исправление ошибок в моём русском.

  5. #5
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Кентукки, США
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    13
    Ok, thanks.

    I guess i'm just trying to find an easier way to notice words without having to pull out a dictionary everytime.

  6. #6
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Seventh
    Posts
    4,113
    Rep Power
    18
    Quote Originally Posted by Notla
    Ok, thanks.

    I guess i'm just trying to find an easier way to notice words without having to pull out a dictionary everytime.
    Are you talking about etymology. As in can you work out a word just by looking at it? Yes you can sometimes, and often it is easier than others. You won't be able to see much. The links between English and Russian are too distant to notice most of the time.

    Молоко - Milk
    Семья - family (semen, seminary (seed))
    Ingenting kan stoppa mig
    In Post-Soviet Russia internet porn downloads YOU!

  7. #7
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Кентукки, США
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    13
    Ah, ok.

    Maybe I won't be trying to take shortcuts like this once I learn more vocabulary. I just started really learning a few weeks ago, but i've been dabbling in the language for a few months now.

    Thanks.

  8. #8
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Serving Polonium-flavoured Sake at a London Japanese Restaurant
    Posts
    2,662
    Rep Power
    15
    Yeah, there really are no shortcuts. It doesn't hurt to have a background in languages that Russian borrows from (some greek/french/german/english words, etc.) but that's a really minimal aid. You just have to learn them -- no way around it...Flash cards, Interlex program, Movies, Music, games -- just practice, practice and more practice.
    Заранее благодарю всех за исправление ошибок в моём русском.

  9. #9
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Кентукки, США
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    13
    I'm fluent in English, and I know only a little bit of French.

    Yeah, i've been searching like crazy for items in Russian, and i've also been using the flash card way for a few days now.

    Thanks.

  10. #10
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Serving Polonium-flavoured Sake at a London Japanese Restaurant
    Posts
    2,662
    Rep Power
    15
    Quote Originally Posted by Notla
    I'm fluent in English, and I know only a little bit of French.

    Yeah, i've been searching like crazy for items in Russian, and i've also been using the flash card way for a few days now.

    Thanks.
    Try this:
    http://www.vocab.co.uk/
    Заранее благодарю всех за исправление ошибок в моём русском.

  11. #11
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Seventh
    Posts
    4,113
    Rep Power
    18
    Quote Originally Posted by Бармалей
    Yeah, there really are no shortcuts. It doesn't hurt to have a background in languages that Russian borrows from (some greek/french/german/english words, etc.) but that's a really minimal aid. You just have to learn them -- no way around it...Flash cards, Interlex program, Movies, Music, games -- just practice, practice and more practice.
    Well, it does borrow some words, but remember Russian is a Indo-European language, and not THAT far from English as people might make out.
    Ingenting kan stoppa mig
    In Post-Soviet Russia internet porn downloads YOU!

  12. #12
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Кентукки, США
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    13
    Just wondering, would that Before You Know It program work just as good as Interlex? I downloaded Internex a few days ago, and didn't really enjoy the layout of the program. I might give it another try, but this BFYKI one is layed out pretty good.

    :P

  13. #13
    Почтенный гражданин BabaYaga's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Europe
    Posts
    610
    Rep Power
    13
    Quote Originally Posted by TATY
    Quote Originally Posted by Бармалей
    Yeah, there really are no shortcuts. It doesn't hurt to have a background in languages that Russian borrows from (some greek/french/german/english words, etc.) but that's a really minimal aid. You just have to learn them -- no way around it...Flash cards, Interlex program, Movies, Music, games -- just practice, practice and more practice.
    Well, it does borrow some words, but remember Russian is a Indo-European language, and not THAT far from English as people might make out.
    Shock Horror - I find myself agreeing with TATY!




    Notla - there are actually a whole lot of words that you can "recognize" in Russian, once you get used to the way they change the sound of a "borrowed" word. As TATY says, there is some kind of common root with English, but your best bet would be comparing to French, funnily enough (it's a historical thing )

    Compared to the total Russian vocabulary, it's not all that many words, of course. But as a beginner, it can be fun to look out for these words - they are so much easier to remember than the "purely Russian" words.

    There are also a lot of loan words from Dutch - but you don't happen to speak that, do you?

    Here's a couple for you:

    дельфин : dolphin
    карьера: career
    гараж: garage
    патруль: patrol (French: patrouille)
    солдат: soldier (French: soldat)
    солист: soloist (French: soliste)
    юбка : skirt (French: jupe)

    ..... and so on....

    Ой, голова у меня кружится |-P ...... and my brain hurts too....

  14. #14
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Seventh
    Posts
    4,113
    Rep Power
    18
    Yes. New words entering Russian now are coming from English:

    Бизнесмен(ка), интернет, компьютер etc., but in the past French was the dominant language to borrow form.

    E.g. Магазин - shop

    The common root language of Indo-European language is Proto-Indo-European, and from this all the Indo-European languages are derived. They range from English to Hindi, Greek to Bengali.

    Proto-Indo-European is only a hypothesised language though, thought to have been spoken in Central Asia.

    Depending on when the various seperate language emerged the closer they are.

    E.g. English and Russian diverged much earlier than English and German did. This is why English and German are much more in common than English and Russian.

    Often the links can only be seen by single letters.
    E.g. compare Russian Пять with Pentagon and the Proto-Indo-European construct: "Penkwe"
    Ingenting kan stoppa mig
    In Post-Soviet Russia internet porn downloads YOU!

  15. #15
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Кентукки, США
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    13
    0_o

    Thanks for all the information!

    No, I only speak English, and as I said before, a little French. :P

Similar Threads

  1. another question: MO
    By devochka in forum Translate This!
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: August 23rd, 2010, 09:04 AM
  2. a question
    By Chuvak in forum Learn English - Грамматика, переводы, словарный запас
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: May 26th, 2006, 04:06 PM
  3. a question :)
    By Ustas in forum Learn English - Грамматика, переводы, словарный запас
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: April 16th, 2006, 04:50 PM
  4. question
    By Орчун in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: March 12th, 2006, 09:00 AM
  5. Question
    By Dimitri in forum Politics
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: March 4th, 2006, 09:55 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Russian Lessons                           

Russian Tests and Quizzes            

Russian Vocabulary