Thread: Today you went "above and beyond"

How do you say above and beyond in Russian in the sense of

"You usually help me but today you went above and beyond"

сегодня вы превзошли самих себя.

Originally Posted by alexsms

сегодня вы превзошли самих себя.

Familiar singular:	Сегодня ты превзошёл самого себя.
Polite singular:	Сегодня вы превзошли самого себя.
Familiar/polite plural:	Сегодня вы превзошли самих себя.

Originally Posted by Soft sign

Familiar singular (to a male):	Сегодня ты превзошёл самого себя.
Polite singular:	Сегодня вы превзошли самого себя.
Familiar/polite plural:	Сегодня вы превзошли самих себя.

If you were speaking in the singular familiar to a girl/woman, would the construction be "Сегодня ты превзошла саму себя." ????

I'm trying to clarify that the verb is followed by the accusative, not the genitive (which would be самой себя in the feminine singular).

From Googling, I also found the phrase "превзойти Ирода в жестокости" -- literally, "to surpass/exceed/outdo Herod in cruelty". (But the usual expression in English is "to out-Herod Herod").

P.S. Another common phrase in English is "[to go/perform/serve/fight] above and beyond the call of duty". This is a traditional construction used in giving awards and medals for military service, and as far as I know, the phrase "to go above and beyond" as used by Valda is a shortening of the military phraseology.

Wikipedia gives me the impression that "превышать долг службы" might be the correct Russian equivalent, but maybe someone could correct this.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

If you were speaking in the singular familiar to a girl/woman, would the construction be "Сегодня ты превзошла саму себя." ????

I'm trying to clarify that the verb is followed by the accusative, not the genitive (which would be самой себя in the feminine singular).

Indeed, ты
превзошёл сам себя
превзошла саму себя
превзошло само себя (if one can imagine referring to neuter gender interlocutor: "свет мой, зеркальце, скажи" and all this stuff)

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

P.S. Another common phrase in English is "[to go/perform/serve/fight] above and beyond the call of duty". This is a traditional construction used in giving awards and medals for military service, and as far as I know, the phrase "to go above and beyond" as used by Valda is a shortening of the military phraseology.

Wikipedia gives me the impression that "превышать долг службы" might be the correct Russian equivalent, but maybe someone could correct this.

it might be hard to find the exact equivalent in Russian, can't think of anything off the top of my head.
most likey there is no the exact equivalent

in the military context you can say -

за доблестное выполнение воинского долга,
за блестящее выполнение боевой задачи (concrete miliary operation),
I have made those up, but they all make sense

"превышать долг службы" - not used

in the science and research context you can say - за выдающиеся заслуги в области танкостроения (и т.п.)

Originally Posted by alexsms

it might be hard to find the exact equivalent in Russian, can't think of anything off the top of my head.
most likey there is no the exact equivalent

"превышать долг службы" - not used

I found that construction in the Russian Wikipedia article about the U.S. Medal of Honor (i.e., it was a Russian author's translation of the English phrase).