?‘?µ?· ?????‚??́ ????????́?‚: five minutes short (of becoming something)
When is a minute not a minute? Generally, with almost every Russian expression using the word ?????????‚?° (minute). In common usage, ?????????‚?° ranges in duration from an instant to a couple of months.
Take the phrase ?? ???????? ?????????‚?? (in one minute), which always means a very short period of time, or what someone says is a very short period of time: ?????‡?µ????, ?? ?‚?µ?±?? ?? ???????? ?????????‚?? ???‹?»?µ?‡?? ???‚ ?‚?????µ?? ?°?»?»?µ?€??????? (Want me to cure you of your allergies in a minute?)
The phrase ???????? ?????????‚?? (just a minute) is also rather elastic. Shouted with the verb ?????????¶???°?‚?? (to wait) left out, it's a second or two: ???????? ?????????‚??! (Wait a sec!). But shouted by your significant other who is watching a football match on television, it might mean an hour: "???????? ?????????‚??! ???µ???‡?°??, ???µ???‡?°??!" ("Just a minute! I'll be right there!")
On the other hand, ?????? ?????????‚?? (right this instant) is so soon it's yesterday: ?? ?…???‡?? ???‚?‡?‘?‚ ???µ ?‡?µ?€?µ?· ???µ?????‚??, ?° ?????? ?????????‚??! (I don't want that report in ten minutes, I want it right this second!) When the person demanding immediate action is a boss, parent, or other authority figure, you might want to hop to it. ???? ?????‚?€?µ?±?????°?» ?? ????????-?‚?? ?????? ?¶?µ ?????????‚?? ???€?????»?°?‚?? ???°????????, ?‡?‚?? ?? ?????????»?????»??????, ???µ?????‚?????‚?µ?»??????, ?? ???????? ?????????‚??. (He demanded that someone send a car right this minute, which was done, literally, in one minute.)
Russian minutes can also be first or good. ?’ ???µ?€?????? ?????????‚?? (literally, in the first minute) just means "at the beginning" — for the first short period of time: ?? ?µ?‘ ?? ???µ?€?????? ?????????‚?? ???µ ???·???°?», ???‚???µ?€?????»????, ?????‚???? ?????€???? ???? ???µ???? ???????»??. (I didn't recognize her at first, but as I turned away, I suddenly realized who she was.) ?’ ?????±?€???? ?????????‚?? (literally, in a good minute) means at a good time, usually when someone is well disposed to a request. ???????°?¶???‹ ?????µ ???°?¶?µ ?????°?»?????? ?? ?????±?€???? ?????????‚?? ???‹???€???????‚?? ?? ???µ???? ?€???±?»??. (Once I even picked the right moment to ask him for a ruble.)
?‘?µ?· ?????‚?? ?????????‚ (literally, without five minutes) is used to describe someone on the verge of some achievement, usually a job, title or license. Here the five minutes might actually be six months. ?????‚?? — ???‚?????µ???‚ ???????»?µ?????µ???? ?????€???° ???µ?????????‚???‚???‚?°, ?±?µ?· ?????‚?? ?????????‚ ???€?°?‡. (Mitya is in his final year at medical school, just about to become a doctor — literally, "five minutes short of being a doctor").
?—?°?????? ???° ?????????‚???‡???? (Stop in for a minute) might not stretch to six months, but if the invitation is at home after work, it might start with tea and end at 4 a.m.
And then there's a curious Russian minute. When ???° ?????????‚???‡???? is set off by commas, it means "by the way" or "and don't forget" — as if the speaker were asking you to pause for a minute and consider. ?“?»?°?????‹?? ?????»???????» ???µ?????», ???° ?????????‚???‡????, ?‚?‹?????‡?° ???‚?? ?????‚?????µ?????‚ ???µ?????‚?? ?????????? (The main bell weighed — if you can believe it — over 40,000 pounds.) ?›?µ???°?€???‚????, ???° ?????????‚???‡????, ?‚?€?????‚?° ?»?µ?‚ (That medicine is — hold on — 300 years old.)
So how does a ?????????????????°?? ?????????‚?° (Moscow minute) stack up to a New York minute? The joke is that a New York minute is the time between a traffic light turning green and the cabbie behind you honking. By that definition, a Moscow minute is a nanosecond.
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.