?????€???°?»??????: ordinarily; normally; regularly; like it should be; like everyone else; fine; sane; not good, but it will have to do
A few days ago, President Dmitry Medvedev was interviewed by ABC television host George Stephanopoulos. The first question was, “What’s the single most important thing that an average American needs to know about Russia today?” Medvedev replied, “????, ?‡?‚?? ? ?????????? — ???‚?? ?????€???°?»?????°??, ???????€?µ???µ?????°?? ???‚?€?°???°” (literally, that Russia is a normal, modern country). To which Stephanopoulos asked, “What does that mean?”Good question, George! What the heck is a “normal country”? And while we’re on the subject, is it ?????€???°?»?????? (normal) to use the word ?????€???°?»?????? a thousand times a day?
?????€???°?»?????? is a curious word. It means “normal, within the norm, ordinary.” But it is used in so many contexts when you wouldn’t use “normal” or “normally” in English that it sometimes seems like the word has half a dozen meanings. Here’s my mini-thesaurus of ?????€???°?»??????:
1. Normally or regularly working (machines, systems, human bodies, psyches). ?¦?µ???‚?€ ?‚?€?°???·???‚???‹?… ???µ?€?µ?????·???? ?„???????†?????????€???µ?‚ ?????€???°?»?????? (The transit center is functioning smoothly).
2. Nothing out of the ordinary; all right; not great, but not terrible. This is the sense meant in the standard reply to the question: ???°?? ???µ?»?°? (How’re things?) ?????€???°?»??????. (Same old, same old; OK; not too bad.) Sometimes the answer is a jaunty ?????€???°?»?‘?? (Everything’s cool). The word is also used in this sense when describing someone’s health: ???µ???‡?°?? ???? ???°?…???????‚???? ???????° ?? ?‡???????‚?????µ?‚ ???µ?±?? ?????€???°?»?????? (Now he’s back home and feels fine).
3. Psychologically appropriate or otherwise adequate. ?? ???????€??, ???±?€?°?‰?‘?????????? ???? ?????µ, ?? ???‚???????????? ?????€???°?»?????? (I take it in stride when people make jokes about me).? ??‚?? ?????€???°?»?????? ?? ?µ???? ?????·?€?°???‚e (This is normal at his age).
4. Not great, nothing special. ?? ?????€???????»?° ?µ????: ???°?? ?‚?µ?±?µ ???‚?° ???µ?????‡???°? ???? ?????????€???‚: ?????€???°?»??????. ?—???°?‡???‚, ?????° ?µ???? ???µ ???????€?°?????»?°????.? (I asked him what he thought of the girl. He said: She’s O.K. That means he didn’t like her much.)
5. As it should be (people, events, things); ordinary, just like everybody and everything else. ?“?€???·???‹?? ?????€???? ???µ???????? — ???‚?? ?????€???°?»?????? (It’s natural for a city to be dirty in the spring). This is the sense Medvedev meant. In fact, his full phrase was: “? ?????????? — ???‚?? ?????€???°?»?????°??, ???????€?µ???µ?????°?? ???‚?€?°???°, ???°?? ?? ?????µ?€?????°” (Russia is a typical, modern country, just like America).
6. When talking about money, adequate, decent, acceptable — in fact, ?????€???°?»?????? seems to mean somewhat better-than-average. ???µ???‡?°?? ???°?? ???°?»?? ?????·?????¶???????‚?? ?·?°?€?°?±?°?‚?‹???°?‚?? ?????€???°?»?????? (Now we have the opportunity to make good money). ?›?????? ?‚?°?? ?·?°?€?°?±?°?‚?‹???°???‚ ???µ???»???…???µ ???µ????????. ?????? ?¶???????‚ ?????€???°?»??????. ???°?‚?µ?€???°?»?????? ?????? ?¶???????‚ ?»???‡???µ ???°??. (People there are making pretty good money. They have a decent standard of living. They’re better off than we are.)
7. When said in a dismissive tone after being asked if something is good, it means: “Well, it’s not very good, but it will have to do.” For example, you are rushing to meet a deadline at the office, and you ask your colleague if that last paragraph makes sense. His reply: ?????€???°?»??????! ???µ?‡?°?‚?°?µ??! Literally this is, “It’s fine! Let’s print it!” But it really means: “Well, it kind of sucks, but it will do.”?
8. Used ironically — especially in the jocular form ?????€???°?»?‘?? — to mean normally abnormal or totally screwed-up. Said when you are in the office until midnight, cranking out a report that no one will read, while the staff person who should do it is home in bed. ?????€???°?»?‘??! (Typical!)
Michele A. Berdy is a Moscow-based translator and interpreter.