Whenever Americans Use Cryillic Like. That. I Just. Instantly Shrivel Up An Cry

Пугать так пугать is an expression meaning "if you have to be scary, be really scary".

Infinitive verbs in Russian can be used in many weird ways, including for "have to".

Пугать - to scary, to spook.

А теперь о действительно важном: можно ли курить чай..

Three Ways to Express Interest in Russian

In Russian, there are three distinct grammatical structures to convey interest in something:

Я интересуюсь политикой.

Translation: I am interested in politics, I care about politics.

Structure: Я + интересуюсь + Instrumental

Меня интересует политика.

Translation: Politics interests me, I find politics interesting.

Structure: Меня (Accusative) + интересует (интересуют for plural) + Nominative

Мне интересна политика.

Translation: Politics is interesting to me.

Structure: Мне (Dative) + интересна (интересен/интересно/интересны) + Nominative

Bonus:

Я заинтересован в политике.

Translation: I have an interest in politics (for example, it's my business).

Structure: Я + заинтересован + в + Prepositional

Listen to the audio to learn how to pronounce these phrases correctly!

Russian necrovocabulary

@chupachai for you personally, dear 🖤

умерший (m, single), умершая (f, single) – deceased, dead покойный, покойная – deceased [derived from покой (peace)] покойник, покойница – deceased [derived from покой (peace)] усопший, усопшая – deceased [derived from church-old Russian «to fall asleep»] почивший, почившая – deceased [pretty outdated, derived from old Russian «to fall asleep»] преставившийся, преставившаяся – deceased [church-old Russian, from an old Russian verb with meaning “to transit, to transfer”] погибший, погибшая – perished, a person who died an unnatural violent death

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мертвый, мертвая – dead мертвец – dead труп - corpse

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умереть – to die погибнуть – to die an unnatural violent death, to perish [this is important; we will not say умерший, умереть about a person who was stabbed with a knife or hit by a car or died in an accident or killed in the war; we will not say погибший, погибнуть about a person who died of old age or illness] скончаться – to pass away уйти из жизни – to pass away

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These verbs are often used in relation to animals, in relation to people it sounds very rude or vernacular

околеть – to die издохнуть – to die сдохнуть, подохнуть – to die

———————————————————– Some expressions with the meaning «to die», many of them are pretty sublime:

почить – to die [perfect form of the obsolete verb “почить”, to fall asleep] уснуть вечным сном, уснуть навеки - to sleep an eternal sleep, to fall asleep forever приказать долго жить – to order to live long отправиться к праотцам - to go to the forefathers отдать Богу душу - to give God a soul отправиться на тот свет - to go to that world отойти от мира сего - to depart from this world отойти в лучший мир - to depart to a better world отойти в мир иной - to depart to another world испустить последний вздох - to breathe a last breath испустить дух - to give up the spirit сойти в гроб - to descend into the coffin сойти в могилу - to descend into the tomb лечь в сырую землю - to lie down in the damp earth

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почить в бозе - to rest in god [an outdated ecclesiastical expression, can be used by very religious people or in an ironic, mocking way]

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Colloquial, slightly rude expressions:

протянуть ноги – to stretch legs [pretty vernacular] сыграть в ящик – to play box надеть деревянный тулуп - put on a wooden sheepskin coat надеть деревянный макинтош - put on a wooden mackintosh отдать концы - give up the ends дать дуба – to give oak помереть - to die

———————————————————- Colloquial, vulgar or criminal expressions:

отбросить копыта – to drop the hooves отбросить коньки – to drop the skates склеить ласты - glue the fins [criminal] окочуриться - I believe that this verb has the meaning of “harden”, a reference to rigor mortis скопытиться - to be knocked off the hooves ———————————————————– стать героем – to become a hero ))))) [internet slang]

“Alone, and not alone. Severed, but not adrift. There were too many lives tangled up in hers. Too many people to care about, and once again, she didn’t know whether to stay or to run”

— V. E. Schwab, A Conjuring of Light

Czeslaw Milosz, New and Collected Poems: 1931-2001

Saint Petersburg, Russia - January 2025

-- I can't do that! -- Have more confidence! -- I am confident I can't do that! Vocabulary: Уверенность - (noun) confidence Уверен/ уверена - (short adjective) confident