Thread: Translating "...Только года через три-четыре"

I'm trying to read this article on Vesti.ru (Вести.Ru: Самара: битва за детский сад), and the first paragraph is interesting for a student of Russian. It uses the word приходиться in two different ways, and the final phrase is hard to interpret.

Vesti.ru:

В Самаре родителям приходится сутками дежурить, чтобы записать детей в сад. Стоят и днем, и ночью. На одно место приходится 100 человек! Всего в очереди на сад в Самаре числятся 18 тысяч человек, и власти обещают решить эту проблему только года через три-четыре.

My translation:

In Samara, parents are having to hold vigil around the clock in order to enroll their children in kindergarten. They stand (stay) both day and night. There are 100 people for each available spot (in the schools). Overall, the people in the queue for kindergarten in Samara totals 18 thousand, and the local government promises to solve the problem within three or four years.

Or does "...только года через три-четыре" mean "Only after three or four years"?

Only after about 3 or 4 years...

When you discuss time periods or quantity, word order matters. Reverse word order adds a note of uncertainty, and can be translated as "approximately", "about", etc.
три года = three years
года три = approximately three years

15 минут = 15 minutes (exactly)
минут 15 = about 15 minutes (give or take)

Спасибо!!! I've always wondered about that reversed order. This was very helpful.

One more question: Is it typical to say "года через три"? As an English speaker translating into Russian, I would want to say "через три года" or "через года три".

Originally Posted by Tom

One more question: Is it typical to say "года через три"? As an English speaker translating into Russian, I would want to say "через три года" or "через года три".

Yes, "года через три" sounds perfect. "Через года три" can be heard in everyday speech occasionally, but it sounds clumsy, like a person changed his or her mind in the middle of a phrase. Usually prepositions and such are put between a numeral and a definitive word.
eg.
Лет с десяти я начал мечтать о кругосветном путешествии.
Я приду минут через двадцать.

Через три года = in three years' time = three years from now
Года через три = in about three years' time = about three years from now

Originally Posted by Lampada

Через три года = in three years' time = three years from now
Года через три = in about three years' time = about three years from now

Ah, so it's only when we're using the reversed order (года три) that the preposition goes in the middle? In other words, the preposition will usually be just before the number?

e.g.

Передача закончится через дватсят минут.
The program will end in twenty minutes.

Передача закончится минут через дватсят.
The program will end in about 20 minutes.


For some reason I find this fascinating.

Originally Posted by Tom

Ah, so it's only when we're using the reversed order (года три) that the preposition goes in the middle? In other words, the preposition will usually be just before the number?

e.g.
Передача закончится через двадцать минут.
The program will end in twenty minutes.

Передача закончится минут через двадцать.
The program will end in about 20 minutes.

For some reason I find this fascinating.

That's right! Your examples are correct. Well done.

Thanks for your help!


(Yeah, I thought дватсят looked funny, but I was too lazy to look up the correct spelling.

Двадцать. Тридцать. Пятьдесят. Шестьдесят. Семьдесят. Восемьдесят.
Одиннадцать. Двенадцать.

So if it is 11 through 30, use ...дцать, otherwise use ...десят. I think I'll remember now. )

Thanks again!

Originally Posted by Tom

So if it is 11 through 30, use ...дцать, otherwise use ...десят. I think I'll remember now. )

roughly:
-надцать = "above ten" = -teen
-дцать (20,30), -десят(50 - 80) = "tens" = -ty