Thread: What don't you like about Russia?

About doors... I have double door on my flat and it's not because of security. When I had one door, it was simply cold during the winter. So I add another one.

The same with windows. My windows consist of three glasses with two gaps between them. Otherwise it will be simply too cold in a flat.

May I drop in?
Sometimes I thought about the doors in English-American country houses and in Russians ones. In Russia a house (I mean a country house, or any 1-2 storeyed separate house) is supposed to have an antechamber, which is not 'a living place' but just 'a buffer zone' as it to say. In England and America many houses have the entrance door wich leads directly to the "living zone", and this looks quite strange to me (like being naked in an ordinary city street, not in nudist camp), althouh I know that this is a custom. That's why in foreign films "about Russia" you always can say that there's something wrong when some bad guys are breaking doors and going straight to the family sitting around dinner table or something like that.

Originally Posted by Propp

May I drop in?
In Russia a house (I mean a country house, or any 1-2 storeyed separate house) is supposed to have an antechamber, which is not 'a living place' but just 'a buffer zone' as it to say.

Some kind of buffer zone is always present. In a flat it's called "прихожая".

Originally Posted by Propp

In England and America many houses have the entrance door wich leads directly to the "living zone", and this looks quite strange to me (like being naked in an ordinary city street, not in nudist camp), althouh I know that this is a custom. That's why in foreign films "about Russia" you always can say that there's something wrong when some bad guys are breaking doors and going straight to the family sitting around dinner table or something like that.

Ha-ha-ha, naivity at its utmost. When I was living in the UK it was in a semidetached house and it had a massive "buffer zone" in the form of a corridor leading from the main entrance to the kitchen (to t'scullery as the landlord would put it) - on the right and kind of halfway through to the kitchen there was a relatively tiny living room. To get to the first floor you'd have to walk up a flight of apples and pears from that same corridor. On the first floor there was also a buffer zone in the form of a landing (though somewhat smaller than on the ground floor). One couldn't just enter the house and find oneself in a room.

Originally Posted by Alex_Ivanov

Originally Posted by Propp

May I drop in?
In Russia a house (I mean a country house, or any 1-2 storeyed separate house) is supposed to have an antechamber, which is not 'a living place' but just 'a buffer zone' as it to say.

Some kind of buffer zone is always present. In a flat it's called "прихожая".

Прихожая? First time I've heard it called that. Where I live we call it коридор or холл. In my vocabulary a прихожая can only be found in a palace, i.g. "мраморная прихожая". The word sounds extremely posh, nearly as posh as the way some people say "музЭй" and "берЭт".

Originally Posted by waxwing

I don't know exactly where that mistake about 'podyezd' got into my head. Sure, VM, I can understand that logically it must mean something like 'driveway' (?) because of the yezd bit. I think I even remember seeing a sign on a driveway of some sort into a business complex. But after the discussion I still don't quite understand. What would you call the main doors entering into the korpus/apartment block? Not just двери, surely?

That's called "парадная" (older people migt say "парадное"). I think "подъезд" is what uneducated people say, because clearly подъезд derives from "подъезжать": "подъезд к дому был закрыт" or "к этому дому плохой подъезд", "много машин припарковано незаконным образом прямо на нашем подъезде", "я здесь живу, поэтому это мой подъезд, уберите, пожалуйста, свой драндулет", etc.

That link Friendy gave - just look at the name - it's "mega.km.ru", surely, a reputable source on Russian language usage. (I think guys at "soopa.poopa.mega.ultra.com" know better.) Also, look at how they've spelt Ожегов - it's Словарь Ожегова, not Ожигова. Since when is someone's quick HTML hack considered a reputable source on Russian language usage?

I'm beginning to suspect that you're not the only corrupt person on this forum. It certainly feels like your tentacles are slowly beginning to reach other forum members...

You've forgotten to take your medication again VM.

Nope, Vendor, even your supposedly Peterbusrgish up-bringing (which your recently denounced) could not justify your pretentiousness. The word подъезд is well known in St. Pete, as a synonym of парадная or лестница. Your example "много машин припарковано незаконным образом прямо на нашем подъезде" is artificial: any native Russian speaker would say "много машин припарковано незаконным образом прямо у нашего подъезда".

The thing about прихожая is completely FUBAR. Холл the standard term for it, gimme a break.

Finally, you really ought to pay a visit to публичка and tell them you want the dictionary specifically by Ожигов. I would just like to see their faces.

Originally Posted by bad manners

The word подъезд is well known in St. Pete, as a synonym of парадная or лестница.

Well-known to whom? I've lived in St Pete long enough and this is the first time in my life I've heard the word подъезд used in the sense of парадная. BTW, парадная and лестница aren't synonyms at all.

Originally Posted by bad manners

Your example "много машин припарковано незаконным образом прямо на нашем подъезде" is artificial: any native Russian speaker would say "много машин припарковано незаконным образом прямо у нашего подъезда".

I disagree. I'm a native speaker of Russian and I find yours incorrect. You can say "припарковано у нашей парадной" (though I can't physically imagine how that's possible because there's always a short path between your парадная and your подъезд often with some shrubbery along the edges, so one can't really block the entrance to your парадная), but you certainly can't say "у нашего подъезда", because it would mean that those cars are parked somewhere else close to our driveway. If you mean they are in your driveway, you should say "на нашем подъезде".

Originally Posted by bad manners

The thing about прихожая is completely FUBAR. Холл the standard term for it, gimme a break.

Yes, this is what we call it. Прихожая is a stupid high-flown word.

Originally Posted by bad manners

Finally, you really ought to pay a visit to публичка and tell them you want the dictionary specifically by Ожигов. I would just like to see their faces.

What is публичка? Do you mean some kind of library? The public library perhaps? Anyway, I don't know of Ожигов, I only know Ожегов and that was exactly my point, but do we read people's posts, do we <SELF-CENCORED>.

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

I think "подъезд" is what uneducated people say, because clearly подъезд derives from "подъезжать": "подъезд к дому был закрыт" or "к этому дому плохой подъезд", "много машин припарковано незаконным образом прямо на нашем подъезде", "я здесь живу, поэтому это мой подъезд, уберите, пожалуйста, свой драндулет", etc.

No one argues with it's deriving from "подъезжать", your meaning is the most direct one but it doesn’t mean that the other meanings of this word are wrong.

That link Friendy gave - just look at the name - it's "mega.km.ru", surely, a reputable source on Russian language usage. (I think guys at "soopa.poopa.mega.ultra.com" know better.) Also, look at how they've spelt Ожегов - it's Словарь Ожегова, not Ожигова. Since when is someone's quick HTML hack considered a reputable source on Russian language usage?

The misspelling in the link doesn't mean anything, such things are pretty common when people transliterate Russian names and words for the name of their files, folders and so on. When they spell it in Russian (on the site) they do it correctly.
Anyway, a quote from Lingvo:
подъезд
1) entrance, porch, doorway
2) drive; approach(es)

Btw, yesterday in a cartoon (the Soviet one) I heard the following phrase: Мы живём в одном подъезде (the other time I wouldn’t pay any attention to it ‘cause it’s very common but thanks to this discussion I did ). Here “подъезд” means a set of apartments belonging to the same entrance.

Another term for холл is сени, but we use it only about very large холльи (some would say холла I presume).

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Originally Posted by bad manners

The word подъезд is well known in St. Pete, as a synonym of парадная or лестница.

Well-known to whom? I've lived in St Pete long enough and this is the first time in my life I've heard the word подъезд used in the sense of парадная. BTW, парадная and лестница aren't synonyms at all.

Right. I misspelt парадное after you. Парадное и лестница are synonyms, synonyms do not have to be exactly equivalent, they only need to overlap, and these do (any парадное is a лестница).

Originally Posted by bad manners

The thing about прихожая is completely FUBAR. Холл the standard term for it, gimme a break.

Yes, this is what we call it. Прихожая is a stupid high-flown word.

And "hall" is not. Yeah, right.

but do we read people's posts, do we <SELF-CENCORED>.

Admittedly, I misread it. My apologies.

холльи ... холла ...

Have you become friends with 44 Canon? Smoke the same stuff or something?

VM, if you need any private tuition in colloquial Russian, my rates are very reasonable

[quote=bad manners][quote=VendingMachine]

Originally Posted by "bad manners":kr3clta1

(any парадное is a лестница).

I am forced to disagree. A one-storey house has a парадное but has no лестница.

Originally Posted by "bad manners":kr3clta1

The thing about прихожая is completely FUBAR. Холл the standard term for it, gimme a break.

Yes, this is what we call it. Прихожая is a stupid high-flown word.

And "hall" is not. Yeah, right

.Yep. Snobs say "прихожая". The same snobs who say "музЭй" if you know what I'm talking about.

Originally Posted by bad manners

but do we read people's posts, do we <SELF-CENCORED>.

Admittedly, I misread it. My apologies.

Apologies accepted.

[quote:kr3clta1]холльи ... холла ...

Have you become friends with 44 Canon? Smoke the same stuff or something?[/quote:kr3clta1][/quote:kr3clta1][/quote:kr3clta1]I don't understand your comment.

Originally Posted by waxwing

VM, if you need any private tuition in colloquial Russian, my rates are very reasonable

Why would I want any tuition in Russian?

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Originally Posted by Артемида

I guess waxwing ment double doors in flat...well it s pure truth

It is a darn lie and he ruddy well knows it.

it seems to me that you dont live in russia now...

[quote:1cmltgl0] and it s evrywhere, at least in my house

So if it's in your house, it's everywhere, right? Female logic at its best. [/quote:1cmltgl0]
in all Moscow almost evryone has double doors, dont try to deny this.

2. that what you're probably talking about is called "парадное", not "подъезд".

i never use the word парадное and actually it is weird to say in such way for moscovites and by the way for all the rest country exept St. petersburg - majority of people do use the word подъезд so let's dont argue about this pointless topic - i opened this thread not for such discussions

[quote:1cmltgl0]England is just lucky that you dont have Chechnya

England has a lot to worry about. Watch some news on the telly for a change...[/quote:1cmltgl0]I do believe that they worry about something (football for example) yeah, and explosions in metro, explosions in houses like in 1999, IRA's shakhids in London explode themselves near hotels...

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

My parents complain that russians are too rude, or cold, whatever

That is true. Of all silly generalizations this isn't such a silly one. We are very rude indeed. Look at me - am I a nice guy? Hell no.

"we"? actually you said only about yourself or is this раздвоение личности?

So...only doors and corruption are disadvantages of Russia? Well, then i think we are almost ideal

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

I am forced to disagree. A one-storey house has a парадное but has no лестница.

Hmm, that may be true. But if we just focus on multi-storey apartment blocks, than all the three words are synonymic. I think we can even drop "multi-storey" in this case.

Yep. Snobs say "прихожая". The same snobs who say "музЭй" if you know what I'm talking about.

In my experience it is exactly the other way around. Those saying "музЭй" are a lot more likely to say "hall" and even "lobby". To say nothing of a couple of French borrowings.

[quote:13bd5dzk][quote:13bd5dzk]холльи ... холла ...

Have you become friends with 44 Canon? Smoke the same stuff or something?[/quote:13bd5dzk]I don't understand your comment.[/quote:13bd5dzk]
That guy is creative with grammar just like you are here.

Originally Posted by Артемида

in all Moscow almost evryone has double doors, dont try to deny this.

Ffffffwhat? You been to every flat in Moscow? Give me a break! I know a lot of people in Moscow and I've visited them many times - I don't think any of them has double doors. I just love it how you speak on behalf of ALL RUSSIAN PEOLE.

Originally Posted by Артемида

i never use the word парадное and actually it is weird to say in such way for moscovites and by the way for all the rest country exept St. petersburg - majority of people do use the word подъезд

Yeah, sure, the rest of the country agrees with you, after all if you do something in Moscow the rest of the country does it your way, only stupid a-holes from St Pete do it differently, sure. Yeah, right, the PEOPLE OF RUSSIA agree with you. Pathetic.

so let's dont argue about this pointless topic - i opened this thread not for such discussions

If you can't stand the heat get the f... out of the kitchen.

[quote:1mrdthaq][quote:1mrdthaq]England is just lucky that you dont have Chechnya

England has a lot to worry about. Watch some news on the telly for a change...[/quote:1mrdthaq]I do believe that they worry about something (football for example) yeah, and explosions in metro, explosions in houses like in 1999, IRA's shakhids in London explode themselves near hotels...[/quote:1mrdthaq]
No, IRA terrorists use other tactics - they don't use suicide bombers, they plant bombs to blow up buildings, trainstations, warehouses, etc. Often there's a police tip-off and people are evaquated in time, but there have been massive casualties in the past nevertheless. In addition to IRA they have a lot of other a-holes to worry about, including the post 9/11 "muslim terror threat". Also, according to statistics, an average Englishman risks having his house burgled twice in his lifetime. Crime in inner cities can be a real problem too. Sometimes crazy maniacs barge into chuches and chop people up with katana swords. Pedophiles rape their children. The police has been caught smashing black people's faces against tables at their police stations on a number of occasions. Their motorways too can be lethal for some - there have been some horrifying pile ups involving 100+ vehicles at a time over the last few years. Documentaries have been shot about some of the worst ones (but you don't watch such documentaries, you prefer to be ignorant but opinionated, you repeat like an automaton every word of that crap they hammered into you at school with gusto as if you were savouring the taste). As you can see an Englishman's life can be very stressful. But getting down to our brass tacks, I still don't understand how a metal door can possibly stop a terrorist... Somehow you've managed to dodge this question.

[quote:1mrdthaq]

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

My parents complain that russians are too rude, or cold, whatever

That is true. Of all silly generalizations this isn't such a silly one. We are very rude indeed. Look at me - am I a nice guy? Hell no.

"we"? actually you said only about yourself or is this раздвоение личности? [/quote:1mrdthaq]It was the royal we, you horrible common flower girl! We, VM the Great Czar Уса Русса, are rude. (But of course most other people are also rude, don't try to deny this.)

Rest of country huh?
Well I don't know about the rest, but for one we in Izhevsk also have this подъезд meaning. And I didn't ever heared anyone using "Парадное" for the same thing. Some people on this board used to search for dialects of Russian alot.. perhaps they should note this obvious difference of St-Pete Russian Dialect

About the metal doors, now.. We also have lots of them (2VM: I didn't say 'all', right?), both on the "подъезд"s and the flats inside. Sometimes there are even more of them - one metal door behind which there is a hall to two or three flats, each of which may also have the metal door.. but I've only seen one such appartment building.

The purpose of flat's reinforced doors is obviously to protect from the flat robbery, and the fact that lots of people installed them once tells something about the actual need for them. I for one may say that once some junkies actually tried to break in to my flat.. it seems that they've been so drunk that have forgot that the person they tried to find here have long been moved... Well maybe something's wrong with the city part I live in But hey, it's still Russia, right? I also heard stories about how the flat robbers removed even the metal doors using the lift, but maybe this is the urban myth

The purpose of "подъезд" doors here primarily is to protect not as much from the thieves/terrorists, but from the youngsters and the бомжи who are used to use the "подъезд"s as the drinking place and the toilet. As such things tends to happen at night when doors are usually closed, the подъезд doors are actually doing their job.

Well now, the picture is unplausible to foreigners I guess.. But this is the reality. What can I say? Maybe - don't come to Izhevsk? Instead go to the Peterburg with парадноеs and no metal doors on them because every lies which unfortunately are truths in Izhevsks, are only just a lies there, according to the VM of course. That's to the discussion on the difference between Moscow/St-Pete and the rest of the Russia. Because most foreigners probably will only see the former rather than latter, maybe they really better off hearing to VM rather than people like me.

P.S. Any English grammar corrections are appreciated

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

Dogboy182 wrote:

My parents complain that russians are too rude, or cold, whatever

That is true. Of all silly generalizations this isn't such a silly one. We are very rude indeed. Look at me - am I a nice guy? Hell no. Can you remember a single occassion when I was polite to someone on this board? All you get from me is negativism and rude personal attacks. We're are like that. Dismissed, private.

I know I'm a bit late, but I remember one occasion. I asked about the diminutives of Fyodor.