?•?????‹??: hers; slang and folksy
Way back in Russian 101, first we mastered the personal pronouns like ???‹ (we), ???? (he) and ?????? (they) and got through the shock of two forms of "you" (???‹ and ?‚?‹).
Then we learned the possessive pronouns that matched them, like ???… (their) and ?µ???? (his). Here we had another shock — ????????, the possessive pronoun used with every pronoun to refer to his/her/their/our own something or other. But endless role-playing got us through ?? ?????‚?µ?€???»?° ???????? ???»???‡ (I lost my key) and ???? ???·???» ?µ???? ???»?????? (he took the other guy's hat).
And then came shock number three. We discovered a whole other set of possessive pronouns, some considered regional, slangy or so sub-?standard that they aren't included in many dictionaries. Maybe we can't use them without sounding like weird hicks, but lots of our friends and neighbors use them to great effect.
For example, along with ???°?? (our), you might hear ???°???µ?????????? (sometimes spelled ???°??????????????). ???°???µ?????????? is ???°?? with a folksy twist, or with affection, or with a bit of irony. Sometimes it means "belonging to us": ?”?°?»???????? ?’?????‚???? ?…???‚?? ?? ???°???µ??????????, ???? ???‡?µ???? ???¶ ???? ???°?»?µ???? (The Far East might be ours, but it's really very far away). Often it means "like us": ?? ?¶?µ ?????????€???» — ???°???µ?????????? ????! (I told you he's one of us!) Sometimes it means "in our language": ?“???????€?? ????-???°???µ????????! (Speak in plain old Russian!)
???°???µ?????????? is often juxtaposed against ???…??????, a great word that gives the possessive pronoun ???… (their) a familiar adjectival form. ?’???‘-?‚?°???? ?µ???‚?? ?????µ ???µ???‚?°?»?????????‚?? — ???°???µ???????°?? ?? ???…?????? (In the end, there are two mentalities — ours and theirs). In the village, ???…?????? can be a neutral word: ???…?????? ?????? ???????€?µ?» (Their house burned down). But when the word refers to foreigners, there is often a touch of condescension, like in this funny exchange: ???°?? ?‚?°?? ???…?????? ?¶???€???°?» ???°?·?‹???°?µ?‚????? «??????»? — «?¤???€?±??». ("What's the name of that foreign magazine? 'Oops?'" "Forbes.")
????-???…???µ???? can mean "according to them": ????-???…???µ????, ?? ???€?????‚?? ???µ?????????? (They think I'm a rat.) Or it can mean "the way they do something" — "they" usually being foreigners: ???µ???µ???¶?µ?€ ?????°?·?°?», ?‡?‚?? ?±?????µ?? ?€?°?±???‚?°?‚?? ????-???…???µ???? (The manager said that we were going to work foreign-style.) Or it can mean "in their language": ?????????° ?‚?‹ ???°???‡???»???? ?????????€???‚?? ????-???…???µ????? (When did you learn to speak their language?)
The possessive pronouns ?µ???? and ?µ?‘ also have longer, folksy forms — ?µ?????????‹?? and ?µ?????‹?? respectively — although they don't seem to be used as frequently as ???…??????. But you might read or hear: ?????µ? ?±?‹? ?µ?????‹?µ? ?·?°?±???‚?‹. (I should have her problems.) Or: ?•?????????‹?? ???°???°???° ?? ?????? ?±?°?±???????° — ???°???????µ ?·???°???????‹?µ (His pa and my grandma are old friends).
???????????????? isn't really a folksy version of ????????, but has its own meanings. ???????????????? can mean someone who is friendly and outgoing: ?????„?‘?€ ???????°?»???? ????????????????, ?? ?????????‚ ?‡?µ?€?µ?· ???µ?????‚?? ?? ???¶?µ ?·???°?» ?????‘ ?? ?·???µ???????… ?????»???‚?????°?…. (The driver turned out to be chatty, and in about 10 minutes I already knew everything there was to know about the local politicians.) A bit less commonly it can mean "not store-bought": ???»?µ?± — ???????????????? (The bread is home-made). The adverb ?????????????? suggests an action that is very informal, without ceremony. ???? ?????????????? ???µ?» ?? ?????????????‚?µ?€?? ?? ?±?‹???‚?€?? ???°???????°?» ?‚?µ?????‚ (He made himself at home at the computer and quickly banged out a text).
???? ?µ???‚??, ???µ ????-???…???µ???? (That is, not like them foreigners).
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.