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An introduction for students of Russian to the hilariously vulgar world of Russian cursing. | Need Russian, German, Czech, or English Translations? | ||||||||
| русский мат для начинающих - russian mat for beginners | email the author | ||||||||||
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Всё
заебало, пиздец,
Leningrad (rock
group) 2000на хуй, блядь! Он назовал мою дочь блядью.
Novgorod
bark, 13th cent.Что? Да ты сам козел! Говно,
мудак! Что? Да пошёл ты сам на хуй!
Viktor Pelevin (novelist) 2000Спи мой хуй
толствоголовый, Баюшки-баю.
I. Barkov (erotic poet)
1732-68То знай: за честь должна считать /
Знакомство юнкерского хуя.
Mikhail Lermontov (1814-41)Нас
с тобою наебали.
Boris Grebenshchikov (cover of
rock group Hui zabei)Хочешь
- жни, а хочешь - куй; Всё равно получишь хуй!
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| Begin with the Historical and Cultural Introduction |
| Arthur Zhopenhauer: The Five-Fold Root of Sufficient Reason, pt. 1: HUI |
| хуй - хер - хрен - фиг | мужской член | the male member |
| Хуй is a word with unlimited destructive power. It obscures the sun and blots out everything in its path. Human life means nothing to it. It can express total, absolute, existential indifference towards everything and everyone. Its nihilistic power allows it to stand in for words such as “nothing,” “no one,” and “none at all.” This most versatile and commonly used Russian obscenity brings with it its own spectrum of euphemisms, which are listed above in order of declining intensity, from the full-blown хуй to the completely harmless фиг (although, of course, the dark shadow of the хуй is always lurking even here). The two middle variants are somewhere in the middle of the crudeness spectrum, and somehow worse than "fig," since, phonetically, they so closely resemble the real thing. Хрен, meaning horseradish, is the more commonly used of the two. Хер is actually the Church Slavonic name for the Cyrillic letter Х. Theoretically, these roots, from the most obscene to the most harmless, are completely interchangeable; the essential meaning of any phrase is preserved even if, for example, “fig” is substituted in place of “hui.” In practice, however, some euphemisms are used in certain expressions more than others; the most commonly heard variants are included in the examples below. Generally speaking, “fig” and “hui” are indeed completely interchangeable, while substitutions of “her” and “hren” in any particular expression are heard more or less frequently. Фиг is used very commonly as a way to “make one’s feelings known” in polite society or in semi-formal situations, particularly by women, or by gentlemen whenever women are present. Apart from referring to the male member, it can stand in, synecdochically, for a man himself, usually in the sense of “some guy,” “some fucker”: Там у двери стоит какой-то хуй (There's some fucker at the door). Here are just a few examples from the book, including different parts of speech formed from the hui root and its spectrum of euphemisms. The samples given are very simple, illustrating the ways these terms are used more often—along with translations into "nice" Russian and English. |
| хуй - хер - хрен - фиг | Prepositional phrases and interjections. |
| 1.a | на хуй (на хер, на фиг) | These two words can say it all: go to hell, fuck off, fuck you, fuck it. This phrase lets people know where they can go. Note carefully that the preposition на is always stressed, and that хуй is not. |
| Иди
на хуй. Пошёл на хуй! Пошла на хуй! Пошли на хуй! |
Отойди от меня! Чёрт тебя возьми! Пошёл вон! |
Fuck you! Go
to hell! Fuck off! Fuck off! (to a man) Fuck off! (to a woman) Fuck off! (to several people) |
| 1.g | хуй | Used alone, often as an object, this word simply means "nothing"—"absolutely nothing whatsoever," "jack shit." Very close to English usage of "shit," as in: "He doesn't know shit." |
| Хуй
тебе.
(Фиг тебе.) Хуй (хрен, фиг) получишь. Хуй найдёшь. Без словаря хуй поймёшь. |
Не дам. Ничего не получишь. Ничего не найдёшь. Без словаря ничего не поймёшь. |
I'm not giving
you shit, fuck off. You won't get shit. You won't find shit. Without a dictionary you won't understand jack shit. |
| 1.h | ни хуя ни хрена ни фига |
Like the previous item, this expression means "nothing," "nothing at all," or "none at all." Note that all the nouns (in the genitive) are ending-stressed. |
| Ни хуя не понимаю. |
Ничего не понимаю. | I don't understand shit. |
| 1.i | до хуя (+ чего-нибудь) до фига до хрена |
Although this root typically expresses the idea of "nothing" or "none," with the preposition до it can signify sufficiency ("just enough," точно хватит), or, more frequently, tremendous abundance ("a ton of," "a shitload of," много), when used with nouns in the genitive case. Note the phrase, heard occasionally, and also meaning "a lot of, a ton of": хуева туча (чего-нибудь). |
| Пиво
у нас до хуя. |
У нас очень много пива. | We've got shitloads of beer. |
| хуй - хер - хрен - фиг | Nouns derived from these roots. |
| 1.m | хуйня - херня - хрень - фигня | Маленькая бесполезная вещь; ерунда,
бессмысленность. Anything with no apparent worth, sense, or use. Bullshit, lies, or tall tales. nonsense, untruth. Any useless piece of shit. |
| Что за хуйня? |
Что такое? Что за чушь? |
What the fuck
is that? What the fuck kind of nonsense is that? |
| Что это за хуйня лежит под кроватью? | Что там лежит под кроватью? | What the fuck is that lying under the bed? |
| —Знаешь,
Ленин жив! —По-моему, это хуйня. —Бля, я разбил стакан! —Хуйня! |
—Знаешь,
Ленин жив! —По-моему, это полная чушь. —Блин, я разбил стакан! —Ерунда! Ничего страшного! |
"Did you
know—Lenin lives!" "I think you're full of shit." "Oh, fuck! I broke a glass!" "Fuck that. It's nothing." |
| 1.n | хуёвина - хреновина - фиговина | Вещь какой-либо формы, предназначенная для чего-то конкретного. What typically distinguishes this term from the previous one is that some concrete use (often very small or specific) is apparent. Often used for small tools or gadgets whose technical name may not come to mind. A thingamajig, gizmo, whachamacallit. |
| Принеси мне эту хуёвину. | Принеси мне эту вещь. | Bring me that thing (thingamajig). |
| 1.p | похуист - пофигист | Человек, которому все равно во всех вопросах. That is, this is someone whose response to everything is “По хуй.” A slacker, a loafer, à la the Big Lebowski. The name of the corresponding Weltanschauung, or “-ism,” is похуизм (пофигизм). |
| Что это у тебя — непротивление злу, или просто похуизм? | Что это у тебя — непротивление злу, или просто апатия? | What is it with you exactly— is it nonresistance to evil, or do you just not give a fuck about anything? |
| хуй - хер - хрен - фиг | Adjectives/adverbs derived from these roots. |
| 1.q | хуёвый - херовый - хреновый - фиговый | Really fucking bad. Really shitty. |
| —Как ты себя чувствуешь? —Хуёво! |
—Как ты себя чувствуешь? —Плохо! |
"How do you
feel?" "Like fucking shit." |
| 1.s | охуительный
- охерительный
- охренительный - офигенный |
Fucking great. Fucking outstanding. |
| Охуительное пиво! | Очень хорошое пиво! | This is some fucking great beer! |
| хуй - хер - хрен - фиг | Verbs derived from these roots. |
| 1.t | охуеть,
охереть,
охренеть,
офигеть я охуею мы охуеем ты охуеешь вы охуеете он охуеет они охуеют |
Удивиться, обалдеть, онеметь от неожиданности; обнаглеть. This verb has two basic meanings. The first is to be stunned, to be speechless. The second is to go nuts, to flip out, to be greedy, or to overstep one’s bounds. Note the imperfective form of the verb, охуевать (я просто охуеваю – I'm just speechless, I’m in fucking shock). |
| —Пока
вы ходили
по магазинам,
я выпил всю
водку. —Ты охуел! |
—Пока
вы ходили
по магазинам,
я выпил всю
водку. —Ты с ума сошёл! |
"While you
guys were out shopping, I drank up all the vodka." "You're out of your fucking mind!" |
| Root No. 2: PIZDA |
| пизда | влагалище; вагина | the vagina |
| Пизда, although it may get less publicity than the more commonly used and therefore more notorious хуй, is arguably the most offensive word in Russian— much as with the English “cunt,” which often sounds much worse than the “worst word in English,” the ubiquitous F-bomb. It is an incredibly offensive synecdochic term for “woman” (in which the hole is taken for the whole— just as хуй can mean “man,” "some dude"). It can be used to form a series of words dealing with loquacity—with babbling, lying, and talking nonsense. But it is also extremely versatile for verb formation, both of action and motion. |
| пизда | Prepositional phrases and interjections. |
| 2.a | пизда | Used alone, this word can refer either to the part of the female anatomy (in which case it often becomes, oddly enough, an undesirable place to go), or, as mentioned above, to a woman herself. |
| Иди
в пизду! Пошёл в пизду! Старая пизда! |
Отойди от меня! Чёрт тебя возьми! Старая баба! |
Fuck you! Go
to hell! Fuck off! You stupid old cunt! |
| пизда | Nouns derived from this root. |
| 2.b | пиздец | This is something unspeakably awful, even apocalyptic—the end of us all. It can stand in for the standard Russian for “end,” конец, although, of course, it's much more dramatic. Often used with the dative. The phrase “Пиздец подкрался незаметно” is sometimes heard, meaning that some tragic event occurred unexpectedly. |
| Ой пиздец! Полный пиздец! Просто пиздец! Нам пиздец. Ему пиздец. |
Всё.
Конец. Нам конец. Ему конец. |
Oh fuck! We're totally fucked. We're fucking screwed. We're fucked, we're goners. He's fucked, he's done for. |
| 2.c | пиздёж | Болтовня, сплетни, байки. That which results from the verb пиздеть: nonsensical babbling, bullshitting, lies. |
| Но это неправда, всё это – пиздёж. |
Но это неправда, всё это — ложь. |
But that's not the truth—it's all total bullshit. |
| 2.d | пиздобол | Человек, который много пиздит. Врун. Болтун. A person from whose mouth much пиздёж proceeds. A windbag, a bullshitter, a raconteur. Often refers to professional “commentators” with no apparent social value or real expertise— “talking heads.” Note the related verb пиздоболить— to behave like a пиздобол. |
| Все политики — пиздоболы. |
Все политики
— вруны. |
All politicians are fucking windbags. |
| 2.e | распиздяй | Похуист, разгильдяй. A slacker, a loafer, a loser. |
| Он
— полный разпиздяй, ни хуя не делает. |
Он — лентяй, ничего не делает. |
He's a fucking slacker, he doesn't do shit. |
| пизда | Adjectives/adverbs derived from this root. |
| 2.f | пиздатый | Very good, fucking outstanding. Often used as an adverb. |
| —Как
ты себя чувствуешь? —Пиздато! |
—Как ты себя
чувствуешь? —Как нельзя лучше. |
"How do you
feel?" "Fucking great." |
| пизда | Vebs derived from this root. |
| 2.g | пиздеть я пизжу мы пиздим ты пиздишь вы пиздите он пиздит они пиздят |
Болтать, говорить глупости, лгать. To talk bullshit, to tell lies or tall tales. To talk about stupid shit. To shoot the breeze. |
| Не пизди! Что ты пиздишь? Хватит тебе пиздеть. |
Не ври! Что ты врёшь? Хватит тебе врать. |
Don't talk
bullshit. What are you talking bullshit for? That's enough bullshit out of you. |
| 2.h | спиздить (что) | Украсть. To steal, pilfer, run off with. |
| Кто это спиздил мои часы? | Кто это
украл мои часы? |
Who stole my fucking watch? |
| 2.i | пиздовать | Уйти, уехать. To leave, head off, get going. |
| Кто это спиздил мои часы? | Кто это
украл мои часы? |
Who stole my fucking watch? |
| 2.j | дать пиздюлей (кому) дать пизды |
Избить, отпиздить. To beat the living shit out of someone. Sometimes said in jest. |
| Хочешь пиздюлей? | Хочешь, чтоб
я тебя избил? |
Want a fucking knuckle sandwich? |
| 2.k | отпиздить (кого) | Избить. To beat the living shit out of someone. |
| Я бы тебя отпиздил. |
Я бы тебя избил. |
I'd beat the living shit out of you. |
| Root #3: MUDA |
| муда (мудо) | мошонка | the scrotum / testicals |
| Unlike хуй, this root is almost never used by itself, but the handful of words formed from it are used with great frequency, usually to refer to people who are either stupid, or of poor character, or both. The piece of the male anatomy itself will normally be referred to as яйца (eggs). |
| 3.a | мудак, мудило | Дурак, придурок. A fucker; a fucking idiot |
| Твой друг — мудак. |
Твой друг — дурак. | Your friend is a fucking idiot. |
| 3.b | мудизм | Idiocy, stupidity. The behavior a мудак would engage in. |
| 3.c | смудить | To do something really fucking stupid. To fuck up royally. |
| —Ты что, мудак, водку забыл, что ли? —Да, я, конечно, смудил. |
—Ты что,
дурак, водку забыл, что ли? —Да, я, конечно, неправ. |
"What, you
forgot the vodka, you fucking idiot?" "Yeah, I guess I fucked up big time." |
| Root #4: BLYAD' |
| блядь | женщина легкого поведения; сука; шлюха | a bitch |
| This is arguably the most commonly heard word of mat, because of its ubiquity as a simple interjection, often in the truncated form of бля. As the joke goes in Russian, «Бля—это русский артикль, который ставится после каждого слова» (Blya is a Russian article that is placed after every word). In polite Russian, the interjection блин (pancake!) is typically substituted. This form is used both as a true interjection, expressing strong emotion (Бля!!), and as a simple emphatic particle; and while it may be used to add emphasis (to the preceding word), it is often inserted almost at random, as a filler, with very little meaning whatsoever, aside from added obscenity, or from expressing a general displeasure (or amusement) with the events being described. In the latter role, this particle can be inserted almost anywhere in a sentence, and multiple times. Блядь is synonymous with the standard Russian сука. |
| 4.a | блядь (as noun) | Сука, шлюха, стерва. A bitch, whore, slut. |
| Все женщины — бляди, все мужчины — мудаки. |
Все женщины — шлюхи, все мужчины — дураки. |
All women are
bitches, all men are fucking idiots. |
| 4.b | блядь, бля (as interjection) | As noted above, this can be a full-blown interjection, expressing rage or amazement (as in, "Shit!" "Fuck!"). |
| Блядь! Я водку разлил! Ой бля! Ты водку разлил! |
Блин! Я водку разлил! Ой блин! Ты водку разлил! |
Fuck! I
spilled the vodka! Oh fuck! You spilled the vodka! |
| 4.c | бля (as an emphatic particle; normally unstressed) | The use of this particle is so ubiquitous that it is difficult to describe. It may be used to add emphasis, usually to the preceding word (something like the standard Russian же or –то), or it may be used as a sort of punctuation, inserted wherever a pause naturally occurs— i.e., wherever a comma could be inserted, if not between every single grammatical segment of a sentence. Thus, it is especially common at the end of sentences (signaling the completion of a thought, or a discrete action in a narrative series of actions. |
| Они не знают, а я бля знаю. Значит, бля, домой прихожу бля. Смотрю бля в холодильник бля, вижу: водку спиздили бля. Охуел бля, еб твою мать. |
Они не знают, а я-то знаю. Значит, блин, домой прихожу. Смотрю в холодильник, вижу: водку спёрли. Обалдел блин, честное слово. |
They don't
know, but I know,
dammit. So, I come home, I look in the fridge, and what do I see: someone fucking stole the vodka. I couldn't believe my fucking eyes, honest to God. |
| 4.d | блядничать | To act like a bitch. To be a bitch. To be a prostitute. |
| Хватит
тебе блядничать. |
Хватит тебе вести себя как сука. | Stop acting like a fucking bitch. |
| 4.e | блядство | Пакость, свинство. A particular act or deed of a bitch-like person; a low blow, a dirty trick. An act of grave negligence or stupidity. Prostitution. |
| Такого
блядства
я от тебя не
ожидал. |
Такого
свинства
я от тебя не
ожидал. |
"I didn't expect such a fucking low blow from you." |
| Root #5: EB- |
| еб- | трахать / трахнуть | to fuck |
| This
root is the most versatile in terms of verb formation; with the
addition of prefixes (при-, у-, за-, пере-, с-, etc.), verbs can be
created with a wide variety of meanings— most, of course, having to do
with “fucking” someone, either literally or figuratively— to screw
someone over, to fuck with someone’s brains, etc. Note that
the
most basic mat expression, “Ёб твою мать,” literally means not “Go fuck
your mother,” as some students of Russian are falsely led to believe,
but “I fucked your mother.” (It is also said that the phrase
derives from “a dog fucked your mother”—Пёс ёб твою мать). Ёб
is
the masculine past tense form; еби
is the singular imperative. A pedant might therefore question
the
right of foul-mouthed females (an increasingly frequent sight in
Russia) to boast that “I (a man) fucked your mother.”
Essentially, though, this stock phrase is repeated so often that people
rarely meditate on its literal meaning; often, it functions much like
the emphatic particle бля, in that it can be inserted almost anywhere
for added emphasis, particularly at the end of a thought or
sentence. It also competes with бля as the most frequently
used
interjection, expressing surprise, frustration, anger, etc.— just like
“shit!” or “fuck!” in English. It should also be noted that the verb itself may even be left out in the phrase ёб твою мать: it is enough to put “your mother” in the accusative case (твою мать!) to be perfectly understood. In fact, it is not uncommon for the word мать to arouse undue attention even in the most innocent contexts, sounding somehow vulgar, especially when used in the accusative. It’s a good rule of thumb to substitute мама instead (—Вчера я всретил твою мать. —Кого бля!? —Твою маму.) |
| хуй - хер - хрен - фиг | Verbs derived from this route. |
| 1.a | ебать / ебнуть я ебу мы ебём ты ебёшь вы ебёте он ебёт они ебут |
Трахать / трахнуть. To fuck, both literally and figuratively (to fuck with, fuck up, fuck over, etc., depending on context). On rare occasions, the phrase “Возле птицы” may even be heard, which is the Russian translation of the English “near bird” (of course, with no article), which, when pronounced poorly by a Russian, sounds suspiciously like the phrase “Не ебёт.” The common phrase “ебать мозги (кому)” (to fuck someone’s brains, fuck with someone’s head) means to annoy, to drive fucking crazy. |
| Ёб твою мать! Не ебёт. Это меня мало ебёт. |
Твою мать! Ничего, не важно. Это меня не волнует. |
Fuck!
Shit! No big deal, doesn't fucking matter. I don't really give a fuck. |
| 1.g | ебаться | трахаться. To fuck each other (to have sex); or, to fuck oneself. |
| Ебись
всё конём. Да ебись она конём, сука. Не открой дверь, по-моему там ебутся. |
Всё к чёрту. Чёрт её подери. Не открой дверь, по-моему там занимаются сексом. |
Fuck
everything (lit., let everything be fucked by a horse). She can go get fucked by a horse for all I care, the bitch. Don't open the door, I think somebody's fucking there. |
| 1.h | заёбывать / заебать кого | To annoy the shit out of, to drive someone fucking crazy. Literally, to fuck silly (the prefix Á‡ denoting satiety or excess). The imperative form of the reflexive (заебаться --> заебись!), which literally means something like “fuck yourself silly,” forms a common expression for “great, fantastic.” |
| Ты заебал. Ты меня заебал. Как она меня заебала! Всё заебало! Заебись! —Как дела? —Просто заебись! |
Ты надоел. Ты меня достал. Как она меня достала! Всё надоело! Отлично! —Как дела? —Просто отлично. |
You’re on my
fucking nerves. You’re annoying the shit out of me. I’m fucking sick of her! I’m fucking sick of everything! Fantastic! "How are things?" "Fucking great." |
| 1.i | наёбывать / наебать кого | обманывать / обмануть кого. To trick, deceive, fuck over, outsmart; play a trick or joke on. |
| Mеня
не наебать. Хозяин его жёстко наебал. |
Меня не
обмануть. Хозяин его жёстко обманул. |
There's no
fucking me over. His landlord fucked him over. |
| 1.i | уёбывать / уебать | Уехать далеко. Убить. To get the fuck out of Dodge; to leave. To kill, to fuck up. |
| —Где твой друг? —Не знаю, куда-то уебал. |
—Где твой
друг? —Не знаю, куда-то уехал. |
"Where's your
friend?" "I don't know, he fucking cleared out of Dodge." |
| 1.i | выебать кого | To give a good fucking. To fuck someone up. |
| Я тебя выебу хорошенько. |
Я тебя изобью хорошенько. | I'll fuck you up good. |
| 1.i | съёбываться / съебаться | To get lost, to scram, to get the fuck out. |
| Надо съебаться, пока не поздно. |
Надо сбежать, пока не поздно. | We should get the fuck outta here before it's too late. |
| 1.i | проебать | Просрать, проиграть, истратить. To waste, lose, or spend. |
| Ты что бля, все деньги проебал? |
Ты что бля,
все деньги проиграл? |
What the fuck, you fucking lost (or spent) all the money? |
| еб- | Nouns derived from these roots. |
| 1.m | ебля (ёбля) | Fucking around, both literally and figuratively. The sexual act; or, a hassle, a fuss, a pain in the ass. |
| Я устал от этой ебли. |
I’m tired of all this fucking around. |
| 1.m | ебало / ебальник | рыло, морда, харя. Mouth, mug, face. |
| Закрой ебало бля. | Заткнись. | Shut your fucking mouth. |
| 1.m | наёбка | обман, шутка. A trick, whether sinister, or just for laughs |
| еб- | Adjectives/adverbs derived from these roots. |
| 1.q | ёбанный (ебанный) | Fucking (literally, fucked). Both variants of stress are encountered. |
| Ёбанный придурок! Ёбанная в рот! |
Fucking idiot! Fuck! (literally, “fucked in the mouth.” Said of both people and objects. Often used as an interjection, as in “Fuck!”) |
| еб- | ёб-с! |
| 1.t | ёб-с! | This is a an interjection, similar to the standard Russian опа!, which is used much as the English “oops-a-daisy,” “oops,” or “heave-ho,” might be used— in some cases after an accident or blunder, and in others, just before or during some minor feat, such as hoisting a heavy load. The English expression “oops” often amuses Russians with its similarity to this mat expression. |
| Давай, я подниму.
Ёб-с! |
Давай, я подниму. Опа! | "Here, I'll lift it. Oops-a-daisy! |
| Trial Version | Just A Few Pages from the Ebook - Feast Your Eyes! |
| Here are just a few quick previews of the book's layout. The trial version includes about a quarter of the entire Ebook, including all of the hui section. If you like what you see, you can get the entire PDF copy of the book for $6.00. |
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| About the Ebook | Table of Contents | About the Author | ||
| Update!
The ebook format I had originally tried finally pissed me off,
so now it's in good, honest PDF format. It can now easily be
printed, and used by both Macs and PCs. I've made the sample version available here.
If you like it, and would like the entire PDF file, just send
$6.00 by PayPal to mpettus@princeton.edu. Be sure to complete
the transaction using the e-mail address you'd like the file sent to,
or let me know otherwise. When I receive your payment, I'll
e-mail the entire file to you within 24 hours. |
I.
FOREWORD................................................................p.
4 How this book came about, and what it's good for. II. RUSSIAN CURSING: AN INTRODUCTION....................p. 6 A cultural and historical introduction to Russian cursing. III. RUSSIAN MAT: A THEORETICAL COURSE..............p. 13 A simple introduction to mat word formation. IV. RUSSIAN MAT: THE BUILDING BLOCKS..................p. 15 The five basic roots of Russian cursing, and their most commonly formed words, with colloquial examples of usage. V. A RUSSIAN MAT READER........................................p. 27 Russian cursing as it lives and breathes: a reader with examples taken from literature and popular music. |
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| How this Ebook will teach you to curse in Russian - From the Foreword |