Thread: Meaning of -ка suffix

Does it intend to make the word sound cuter, or what?

PS.

Also, I asked a woman today near to my workplace что вы ищите?
She answered смотрушка...but then I asked my russian friend what it means and he told me that I'm inventing words or misheard...any chance someone recognizes what it means or did I really mishear?

Sounds like she meant,” I’m looking around” .
But let’s say the word “смотрушка” doesn’t belong to the core vocabulary of most Russians.

Is there any source you can show me that defines that? Just wanna see it somewhere official so I can go to my friend and say "HAH!"

Sorry. No source. It’s my linguistic intuition. I guess instead of telling “I’m spying around” the Russian "babushka" just mirrored your question without giving any answer to it. Jedi mind trick.

babushka smatrushka..how apt...

More seriously, my guess is “cмотрушка” equals to “я смотрю по сторонам без какой-либо определенной цели, т.е. просто гуляю".

Originally Posted by Valda

Does it intend to make the word sound cuter, or what?

PS.

Also, I asked a woman today near to my workplace что вы ищите?
She answered смотрушка...but then I asked my russian friend what it means and he told me that I'm inventing words or misheard...any chance someone recognizes what it means or did I really mishear?

there's no such word in Russian, so i think you misheard

suffix -ка is a nouns suffix therefore it couldn't be appended to the verb смотрю even hypothetically

if i was to guess what she really said it could be смотрю что... (pronounced смотрю што... which is close to смотрушка) still sounds a bit off as the idea is incomplete but more likely than смотрушка, which sounds funny

a phrase "смотрю! что!" can sound rude or irritated if it's a response to the question что? which you asked, so it could be that, if she said it with matching intonation where there's a short pause between the words, in which case что! is mocking your question and is supposed to mean "why are you asking, don't you see?"


http://masterrussian.com/nounsandcases/suffixes.htm

Originally Posted by LXNDR

suffix -ка is a nouns suffix therefore it couldn't be appended to the verb смотрю even hypothetically

Why not? I've just found an example.
У них за печкой живет Мышака, в огороде ёжик Пыхунчик, а в дупле сова Смотрушка.
Есаулов Илья Esaulov Ilya -

there's no such word in Russian, so i think you misheard

suffix -ка is a nouns suffix therefore it couldn't be appended to the verb смотрю even hypothetically

what about смотри-ка? I recall hearing that word a few times...

a phrase "смотрю! что!" can sound rude or irritated if it's a response to the question что? which you asked, so it could be that, if she said it with matching intonation where there's a short pause between the words, in which case что! is mocking your question and is supposed to mean "why are you asking, don't you see?"

It could be that I misheard and she said "смотрю што"


In which case.... .humffph! So much for trying to help. :P

Originally Posted by Valda

what about смотри-ка? I recall hearing that word a few times...

it's a particle not a suffix, it doesn't change the word morphology and meaning

Particle for what? my dictionary doesn't define it from some reason

Originally Posted by Valda

Particle for what? my dictionary doesn't define it from some reason

-ка — Викисловарь

there -ка is also described as verbs suffix however in the verbs it never exists without the ending

I'm not sure I understand the definitions there...can you explain to me what it means in English?

Originally Posted by Valda

I'm not sure I understand the definitions there...can you explain to me what it means in English?

-ка (particle)

Morphological and syntaсtic characteristics

-ка

Particle; unchangeable. Appended through hyphen to verbs in imperative form or to the ну particle

Pronunciation

МФА: [kə]

Semantic characteristics

Meaning

colloquial, expresses mitigation or informality of a request, command or demand for quick action ◆ Поезжай-ка ты в деревню!

if you're familiar with German, this -ка particle is equivalent to the word 'mal' in requests and imperatives

-ка (suffix)

Morphological and syntaсtic characteristics

-ка-(ть)

Word building unit (suffix).

Meaning

when added to various parts of speech it creates intransitive verbs in imperfective form with the meaning of action related to the subject, named by the initial word ◆ а → акать, ау → аукать, вы → выкать, да → дакать, и → икать, кар → каркать, мяу → мяукать, ой → ойкать, о → окать, тяв → тявкать, я → якать, ты → тыкать
verbs derived from interjections and onomatopoeia mean to utter or reproduce the sound named by the initial word ◆ агу → агукать

colloquial, expresses mitigation or informality of a request, command or demand for quick action ◆ Поезжай-ка ты в деревню!

Ah...that's the one I was looking for. Thanks