The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.
If a man likes a woman, he can ask of her โะะฐะฒะฐะน ะฒัััะตัะธะผััโlet's meet or, if he is more bashful, โะฏ ั
ะพัะตะป ะฑั ั ัะพะฑะพะน ะฒัััะตัะธััััโI would like to meet with you and she will understand that he is asking her on a date. She can agree ะฟัะธะนัะธ ะฝะฐ ัะฒะธะดะฐะฝะธะตto go on a date or meeting. When they meet, he might pay her compliments by saying โะขั ะพัะฐัะพะฒะฐัะตะปัะฝะฐโYou are charming/enchanting or, if he wanted to seem more โhipโ and modern, he could say โะขั ะบะปะฐััะฝะฐัโYou are first-class/cool. If, over time, he develops stronger feelings, he might tell her that โะขั ะผะฝะต ะพัะตะฝั ัะธะปัะฝะพ ะฟะพะฝัะฐะฒะธะปะฐััโI like you very much or, if he wanted to use another common but less direct phrase he might say that, โะะฝะต ั ัะพะฑะพะน ั
ะพัะพัะพโIt is pleasant to be with you. Of course, if he wants to get right to the point, he would say โะฏ ะฒ ัะตะฑั ะฒะปัะฑะธะปััโI have fallen in love with you.
To describe his feelings to his friends using slang, he might say โะฏ ะฟะพ ััะธ ะฒะปัะฑะธะปััโI've fallen in love up to my ears or he might use the more commonly accepted phrase โะฏ ะฒะปัะฑะธะปัั ั ะฟะตัะฒะพะณะพ ะฒะทะณะปัะดะฐโI fell in love at a first sight. If the woman likes him as well, she might begin โัััะพะธัั ะณะปะฐะทะบะธโto make eyes, and say โะฏ ัะบััะฐั ะฟะพ ัะตะฑะตโI miss you when he calls her. He might respond with and say โะฏ ะดัะผะฐั ะพ ัะตะฑะตโI am thinking about you or even โะฏ ัะตะฑั ะพะฑะพะถะฐัโI adore/worship you.
The two might begin to refer to each other with pet names such as โัะพะปะฝััะบะพโlittle sun, and โะผะธะปะฐัโ or โะผะธะปัะนโsweetheart.
Russian lovers donโt call each other โhoneyโ and often think it amusing when English speakers do. They most often use the words ะดะพัะพะณะฐัdear, and ะผะธะปะฐัsweetie, and very often some derivation of the word ะทะฐัั (ะทะฐะนัะธะบ, ะทะฐะนัะธัะบะฐ)hare (little hare). More creative titles include โัะพะดะฝะฐัโ, which comes from the same stem as โัะพะดะธะฝะฐโhomeland and โัะพะดััะฒะตะฝะฝะธะบโrelative, two of the highest valued elements in traditional Russian culture. Other terms are โัะพะปะฝััะบะพโlittle sun, โะทะพะปะพัะบะพโgolden one, and even โััะฑะบะฐโlittle fish (not commonly used).
Probably no one is more famous for sweet nothings in Russian than A.C. Pushkin. His best known diatribe on love starts as follows: โะฏ ะฟะพะผะฝั ััะดะฝะพะต ะผะณะฝะพะฒะตะฝะธะต: / ะะตัะตะดะพ ะผะฝะพะน ัะฒะธะปะฐัั ัั, / ะะฐะบ ะผะธะผะพะปะตัะฝะพะต ะฒะธะดะตะฝะธะต, / ะะฐะบ ะณะตะฝะธะน ัะธััะพะน ะบัะฐัะพัั.โI remember the many miracles / as you appeared before me / Like a fleeting vision, / As if a marvel of pure splendor. Most of Pushkinโs poems on the subject juxtapose love and sorrow. Take, for example, โะฃะฝัะฝัั ะผะพะตะณะพ / ะะธััะพ ะฝะต ะผััะธั, ะฝะต ััะตะฒะพะถะธั, / ะ ัะตัะดัะต ะฒะฝะพะฒั ะณะพัะธั ะธ ะปัะฑะธั โ ะพััะพะณะพ, / ะงัะพ ะฝะต ะปัะฑะธัั ะพะฝะพ ะฝะต ะผะพะถะตัโ.My despondence / Knows no grief nor even sorrow / For again my heart burns and loves, as / Not to love the heart cannot
The man might decide one day to tell the woman โะะธัั ะฑะตะท ัะตะฑั ะฝะต ะผะพะณัโI can't live without you or โะฏ ะปัะฑะปั ัะตะฑั ะฑะพะปััะต ะฒัะตะณะพ ะฝะฐ ัะฒะตัะตโI love you more than anything in the world. He might simply say โะขั ะผะฝะต ะฝัะถะฝะฐโI need you and she will understand that he feels that he needs her in his life always.
At this time, the man might decide that it is time to โัะดะตะปะฐัั ะฟัะตะดะปะพะถะตะฝะธะตโto make a proposal/to propose. He might say, after repeating much of the above phrases, โะัั
ะพะดะธ ะทะฐ ะผะตะฝั ะทะฐะผัะถโmarry me or he might use โะัะดั ะผะพะตะน ะถะตะฝะพะนโbe my wife, which is more common and pithier.
Later on, if their family is happy, people can say about them โะะฝะธ ะถะธะฒัั ะดััะฐ ะฒ ะดัััโthey live soul-in-soul, meaning that they live in perfect harmony, that they are soul mates. People may also say simply โะฃ ะฝะธั
ััะฐััะปะธะฒะฐั ัะตะผััโthey have a happy family. He might call he by more mature terms of endearment such as โะผะพั ะฟะพะปะพะฒะธะฝะบะฐโmy (other) half or โัะพะดะฝะฐัโ, which means โdarlingโ but also implies โmy homeโ or โmy own place, where I am meant to beโ. She can call him โะผะพั ะพะฟะพัะฐโmy support, my rock, meaning that she can rely on him for anything.
Although many Russians are beginning to adopted more western-oriented values in this regard, most Russians believe that ideal home is one in which the wife โะพะฑะตัะฟะตัะธะฒะฐะตั ั
ะพัะพัะธะน ััะปโprovides a solid home front, to which the man will always โะปะตัะธั ะดะพะผะพะน ะบะฐะบ ะฝะฐ ะบััะปััั
โfly home as if on wings.