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sebastienupper · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Australia, Western

Does anyone know what 'щас' means?

Russians seem to be hard to get talking. Is it just me or do they take perverse pleasure in using slang words with people that dont speak Russian natively or indeed, well?

It's not rhyming slang is it? I hate that shit.

он говорит всегда "превед", но это я понимаю--глупый медведь--странно.

У россиянин чувсто юмора странная?

rusmeister · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 867 Location: Russia

It's a truncated form of "сейчас"
It may be you. Russians are pretty much like the rest of us.
I don't fully understand everything in your post, either.

sebastienupper · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Australia, Western

Ну, да, я не очень приятный. Ладно, спасибо за ответ.

Простите, мои слова не предназначали для ушей русских. Итак, думаю, я был не очень утонченный.

Тоже, я не говорю, что люди русские не очень хорошие или дружески (я ещё в Австралии!) Только, говорю об интернет--на интернет, мне трудно понимать.

Words like "щас" aren't text-message/sms speak are they? First it was just harmless brb and lol, but some people have always gotta take it one step too far. The internet is full of sms speak actually, now I can't even talk to English people, bloody mobile phones.

edited: to correct me Russian'n'stuff.

rusmeister · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 867 Location: Russia

Actually, that spelling simply reflects the pronunciation in rapid speech. They slur it. Watcha gonna do? (gasp! I slurred it!)
No biggie! Very Happy

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

Although it may well be derived from seechass (now), chaas is commonly used as 'wait' or 'in a moment'. E.g. You've spoken to the phone to somebody to ask to speak to somebody else and your interlocutor will say 'chass' meaning 'hold on, I'll get him/her'. And I agree, they're no more secretive with language than say Brits or Yanks.

sebastienupper · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Australia, Western

Thanks, or should I say thks.

I know, I know, English is probably worse in almost every respect, with its idioms and informals, abbreviations and liaisons.

I pity people 'forced' to learn English as a second language.

Mesa gotta go noo, mesa flat out like a lizard drinkin'.

kazachka · Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 220 Location: Moscow and Alaska

some other common ones that crop up often -
кто -нить (нибудь)
тада(тогда)
кагда (кОгда) нить
деффка (девушка) but not so nice
мыло- е майл
скинь мне по мылу -email (it ) to me
пацан- guy
аьска-icq
грить-говорить
инфа
Я вчера грил(а) с кем нить по аьске потом он мне скинул инфу по мылу.

These are just a few of many I'm too sleepy now to list.I'll spare you the long list of ones we use in the track and field world. I'm taking my recency credits at MGU now so that I can renew my teaching license and one of my classes is on syntax and lexicology. My prof and I were examining various words and multiple meanings in various semantic fields. He threw out the general theme of grades and we listed пятерка четверка тройка.....итд. Then he asked if I knew any other meaning of these. Of course they can also relate to money- десятка... a 10 ruble for ex. bill... So I added растояние. At first he was puzzled then I said well пятерка-5км тройка тройшка 3км двушка-2км полторашка 1500м десятка 10км шестерка 6км семерка 7 восьмерка 8 девятка 9 пятнашка 15км двадцатка тридцатка........ Сегодня я пробежала двадцатку по тропиночкам. It blew his mind and then he remembered that he used some of those when he used to play football and they ran.

kazachka · Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 220 Location: Moscow and Alaska

JessInRussia · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 36

To me this topic should include new words for us to learn.

My addition is that of стольник, which means a "one hundred rouble note". It is also the name of a magazine in Russia. I learnt it the hard way. While hailing a car on the side of the road, a driver stopped, opened his door and heard my destination. He replied with the word and told me to sit. I thought he was saying ok, sit and let's go. At that stage I knew almost no Russian at all, but at the end of the trip, I coughed up for a short ride. I never regretted it though: I was in Surgut and outside it was -54...

Russian, like ANY langauge, has slang and shortened words. And if you want to know what щас means, just ask someone.

Wicked.

skye · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 9

along the same line, лимон means 'million.' If someone asks you to pay THAT for a ride, I'd refuse even in -54 weather Razz

And to reply to the very first post, Russians do not use rhyming slang...yet. Well, sometimes but only in short phrases. If that becomes the style anytime soon even the best of us would be lost.

there are some good websites for learning Russian slang which is quite useful to know in conversation. here's one:

http://www.learningrussian.com/phrases/slang/index.htm

ex. базар: chitchat, bull session.can also be used as a verb:базарить

teacherpunk · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 25

sebastienupper · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Australia, Western

So let me get this right...

Угу = yes, and so does Ага!

Стеб or стебаться - is, roughly, to speak ironically and mockingly, but inoffensively, putting 'funny' emphasis on some words.

класс = great! first class!

cheekygal · Joined: 04 Mar 2003 Posts: 1987 Location: China, Zhuhai

Note one more down:

колбаситься - means party as in going out. Usually that involves A LOT of drinking and in some cases that same word would mean party with drugs. Same goes for оттягиваться.

The newer generation is - the worse slang gets. I have been out of Russia for 5 years now and when I talk to some younger friends online, I have to ask them to translate for me into a normal Russian language Laughing