Thread: rejoicing / celebrating

What's the difference between "be rejoicing" and "be celebrating"?

А какая разница между "радоваться" и "праздновать"?

Меня, кажется, сбил с толку один человек... Или я его сбила. Я написала "be rejoicing" в смысле "радоваться", а он сказал, что "be celebrating" лучше звучит...

Does "Let's be rejoicing" sound bad?

По-моему, лучше сказать "Let's rejoice".

Rejoice is to be glad, to be happy at a situation or an outcome, wheras to celebrate is to observe or commemorate some sort of event. Basically, rejoicing describes a feeling, wheras celebrating describes an action.

All that aside, no-one uses the word rejoice apart from wide-eyed Christian ministers and various other religious nutjobs.

Originally Posted by scotcher

Rejoice is to be glad, to be happy at a situation or an outcome, wheras to celebrate is to observe or commemorate some sort of event. Basically, rejoicing describes a feeling, wheras celebrating describes an action.

All that aside, no-one uses the word rejoice apart from wide-eyed Christian ministers and various other religious nutjobs.

Да, глагол to rejoice теперь почти только употребляется в религиозном контексте.

Достаточно трудно перевести русский глагол радоваться на английский.

радоваться чему-то = to take pleasure in something / to be glad of something. Обычно надо перефразировать.

Кстати, нельзя сказать "let's be VERB-ing", а надо сказать "let's VERB", т.е. "let's celebrate!", "let's play football", "let's go to the cinema".

Originally Posted by scotcher

All that aside, no-one uses the word rejoice apart from wide-eyed Christian ministers and various other religious nutjobs.

The last time I heard the word 'rejoice' was in some gay hymn:

It's okay to be gay, let's rejoice with the boys in the gay way...

TO (be), and associated cases.
Rejoice... usually religious "Let us Rejoice in the Word of Him and blah, blah, blah.....


Celebrate is more secular; state holidays, birthdays, anniversaries

"I celebrate Labor Day with a day off." "Let's celebrate Olya's birthday!"
"I have been beating my head against a wall for a couple years in Master Russian Forums, let's CELEBRATE."

Originally Posted by TATY

Достаточно трудно перевести русский глагол радоваться на английский.

радоваться чему-то = to take pleasure in something / to be glad of something. Обычно надо перефразировать.

How about "to express joy"? Is it idiomatic?

Originally Posted by Оля

How about "to express joy"? Is it idiomatic?

It means the same, but sounds rather dry and formal. Like a description from a police report.

How about to glad oneself?

Можно перевести "я радуюсь" - I'm gladding myself?

Glad isn't used as a verb any more, only as an adjective. Apparently it was once upon a time, the verb form is listed in the dictionary (as archaic), but I have never heard nor read it used as a verb in my whole life.

I don't know how to idiomatically translate "я радуюсь", as I don't know how different that is from simply "я рад". Would I be right in guessinig that "радоваться" is basically the process of making oneself "рад"?

If that's the case, then "I am cheering myself up" might be closer.

Originally Posted by scotcher

Would I be right in guessinig that "радоваться" is basically the process of making oneself "рад"?

Yes, I think so. It's a process. Это внешнее выражение радости.

Originally Posted by scotcher

If that's the case, then "I am cheering myself up" might be closer.

I see, thank you, scotcher.

Actually, I might've been a bit hasty. Glad isn't used as a verb, but gladden can be, for example in the phrase "to gladden the heart".

You still can't gladden yourself, though, so the rest of what I said still stands.

Originally Posted by scotcher

I don't know how to idiomatically translate "я радуюсь", as I don't know how different that is from simply "я рад". Would I be right in guessinig that "радоваться" is basically the process of making oneself "рад"?

If that's the case, then "I am cheering myself up" might be closer.

I don't think it's the process of making yourself рад, I think it's more like the process of visibly expressing your радость.

I hate to say it, but the best way to translate it into English without "sounding religious" is probably just to say to be happy/glad.

Это внешнее выражение радости.

I think it's more like the process of visibly expressing your радость.

Радоваться можно и "внутренне", "про себя", "в душе", не выражая при этом радости внешне.

Кстати, rejoice, по-моему, хорошо соответствует русскому "возрадоваться" -- тоже слово архаичное и часто употребляется в религиозном контексте.