???????µ́?‚?? ???° ???µ́?µ: to live off someone
If you, like me, have come to realize that you lead ?????????‡???? ???±?€?°?· ?¶???·???? (sedentary lifestyle) — now blamed for every ailment known to humankind — it may come as something of a relief to learn that there are lots of ways to sit in Russian that do not cause premature death. True, some are not fun and others are arduous. But in Russian, sometimes a long period on your bottom produces inspiration and comfort.
But let's start with the easy stuff. ???????µ?‚?? is to sit, usually on a chair. Much the way some Americans call sitting cross-legged "sitting Indian-style," Russians call it ???????µ?‚?? ????-?‚???€?µ?†???? (literally, "to sit like a Turk"). Now everyone calls it ???????µ?‚?? ?? ?????·?µ ?»???‚?????° (to sit in the lotus position).
Sometimes ???????µ?‚?? means being in a place for a while, often because you are stuck there. The classical version of this is: ?? ?????¶?? ?? ???€???±???µ! (I'm stuck in a traffic jam.) In other cases, you're sort of stuck, but definitely not sitting. Take this example, which is ludicrous in literal translation: ?¦?µ?»?‹?? ???µ???? ?????¶?? ???????° ?? ???µ?‚??????. (I'm sitting at home all day with the kids.)
Sometimes people sit in one place for several years: ???? ???????µ?» ?‚?€?? ???????°. Here the key phrase "?? ?‚???€?????µ" (in prison) is left out but clearly understood: He spent three years in jail.
And sometimes people sit on other people, and not in a nice way: ?’?·?€?????»?‹?µ ???µ?‚?? ???€???????»?¶?°???‚ ???????µ?‚?? ???° ???µ?µ ?? ?€???????‚?µ?»?µ??. (Grown children continue to live off their parents, literally "sit on their parents' neck.")
But sitting can be productive, too. In Russian, ???????µ?‚?? can be translated as doing some work or activity: ?????° ?????????‚ ?·?° ???°?·?µ?‚????. (She's reading the newspaper.) ???? ?????????‚ ?·?° ?????????????‚?µ?€????. (He's working at the computer.)
Adding prefixes to the basic verb gives you additional sitting-around options. ?—?°???????µ?‚?????? can mean sitting for a long time because you're having way too much fun to get up. ?—?°???????µ?»?????? ???‹, ?????€?° ??????????. (Oh, we're overstaying our welcome. Time to go home.)
Or ?·?°???????µ?‚?????? can mean being in a rut: ???????????° ???µ ?µ?·?????»?°, ?·?°???????µ?»?°????. (I haven't gone anywhere, I've become a homebody.)
?—?°???????µ?‚?????? can also be used for people stuck in a state — usually the state of being unmarried. Traditionally this describes women: ?’ ???µ?????°?… ?·?°???????µ?»?°????, ?° ?µ?? ???¶?µ 27. (She's an old maid — she's already 27.) But occasionally it is applied to men: ?•?‘ ?»???±?????‹?? ???‹??, ?·?°???????µ???????????? ?? ?…???»?????‚?????°?…, ???°???????µ?†-?‚?? ?¶?µ?????»????. (Her beloved son, who was a confirmed bachelor, finally got married!)
And then there's ???‹???????µ?‚?? (to hatch), used for birds and geniuses: ?’???µ ?????? ???€?????»?°???‹???°???‚ ???????»???? ???»?? ?‚??????, ?‡?‚???±?‹ ???‹???????µ?‚?? ???µ?????°?»???????? ?????µ??. (They all do everything in their power to hatch a brilliant idea.)
But when your sitting produces less lofty results, you use the verb ???°???????µ?‚??. This is what you use to describe the chair worn down to your body specifications — ???°?????¶?µ???????µ ???µ???‚?? (a well-worn seat). Or the place where you feel at home: ?›?????? ?????‚???????»?????? ?? ???°?????¶?µ?????‹?… ???µ???‚ ?? ?????€?????°. (People left all that was dear to them and moved to cities.) But sitting all day can produce some bad things, too: ?—?° ???????»?µ???????µ 18 ?»?µ?‚ ???????‚???€???????? ?€?°?±???‚?‹ ???°???????µ?» ???µ?±?µ ?…?€???????‡?µ???????? ?€?°?????????»???‚. (Sitting for the last 18 years at a desk has given me chronic back pain.)
You get the idea. I'd write more, but I've got to get up and do some stretches.
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.