?’?»?µ?‚?µ́?‚?? ?? ???????µ́?µ?‡????: to cost a pretty penny
While I was swanning through the produce section of a supermarket the other day, humming a little food tune as I contemplated dinner, a price tag suddenly stopped me dead in my tracks. Cauliflower was selling for 760 rubles a kilogram. I've been watching prices double in recent weeks, but cauliflower?! Plain old, grown-everywhere, easy-to-store cauliflower?! 760 rubles a kilogram! Boy, are we in trouble.
The first thing I did was race home to brush up my ability to describe outrageously skyrocketing prices.
Let's start with how to ask about a price. There's the simple ???????»?????? ???‚?????‚ (how much), or ?????‡?‘??, ???? ???°?????? ?†?µ???µ (how much, often used for things that have a unit cost).
Replies come with several different verbs. ???»?°?‚???µ ???‚?????‚ 12,000 ?€???±?»?µ??. (The dress costs 12,000 rubles.) ???°???????° ???°?? ???±???????‘?‚???? ?? 2 ?????»?»???????° ?€???±?»?µ??. (The car will run you 2 million rubles.) ? ?µ???????‚ ?????‚?°???µ?‚ ?‚?µ?±?µ ?±???»?????µ 10,000 ?€???±?»?µ??. (The repairs will cost you more than 10,000 rubles.) Sometimes people use a phrase with an exact English equivalent: ??‚?° ?????°?€?‚???€?° ?»?µ?????? ???????‘?‚ ?·?° ?????»?»?????? ?±?°????????. (That apartment will easily go for a million bucks.)
Then you need a nice selection of adjectives to appropriately describe the price (?†?µ???°). ?’?‹???????°?? (high) just doesn't cut it. ?? ?±?‹?»?° ???° ?€?‹?????µ, ?? ?†?µ???‹ … (I was at the market and the prices were …): ?°?????????µ (hellish), ?°?…?????‹?µ (yikes!), ?°???‚?€???????????‡?µ???????µ (astronomical) or ?±?µ???µ???‹?µ (insane, literally "rabid").
When I'm sputtering over a price I like to use the word ?±?°?????????»???????‹?? (fabulous), from the word ?±?°?????? (fable or legend). The idea is the prices are the stuff of legends, but not in a good way. ???????‰?? ?‚?µ???µ?€?? ???‚?????‚ ?±?°?????????»???????‹?… ???µ???µ??. (Vegetables these days cost an arm and a leg.) ?”?°, ?????µ?·?????»?? ?? ???????±?‹ ???µ???‘???‹?? ???°???°?·????. ?? ?‚?°?? ?????‘ ?±?°?????????»???????? ?????€??????. (Yes, we went to the so-called cheap store. Even there everything was jaw-droppingly expensive).
In the old days — that is, a few months ago — usually people, advice, recommendations and the like were worth ???° ???µ?? ?·???»???‚?° (their weight in gold). ?•???? ?????„???€???°?†???? ?†?µ?????»?°???? ???° ???µ?? ?·???»???‚?°. (His information was worth its weight in gold.) But now, in the new era, anything can cost as much as a gold necklace. ???…?»?°?¶???‘?????°?? ?€?‹?±?°, ?????‚???€?°?? ?»?µ?¶???‚ ???° ?»??????, ???€?????‚?? ???° ???µ?? ?·???»???‚?°. (Chilled fish on ice is just worth its weight in gold.)
Sometimes things are so expensive you can't even touch them. ?? ???‹?€ — ?? ???‹?€?°?? ???€?????‚?????? ???µ?‚ (As far as cheese goes — you can't even touch it. Literally, "you can't approach it.") Or you can't touch it because the high prices bite. ???°?? ????????????! ???? ?†?µ???‹ ???????°???‚????. (It's really delicious! But the prices take a real bite out of your budget.) Or they burn: ?’ ???‚???? ???????? ?†?µ???‹ ?¶?????‚????. ???µ?€?????‡???‹?? ???€???‘?? ?? ???€?°?‡?° — 3,500 ?€???±?»?µ??. (This year prices are off the charts. The first doctor's visit is 3,500 rubles.)
In English, very expensive things cost a pretty penny. In Russian, they cost a fine little kopek. You have a choice of verbs: ???»?µ?‚?°?‚??/???»?µ?‚?µ?‚?? (to fly); ?????‚?°???°?‚??/?????‚?°?‚?? (to rise); ???‹?…???????‚??/???‹???‚?? (to come out); ???±?…???????‚??????/???±?????‚?????? (to cost) — all of which end with the phrase ?? ???????µ?µ?‡???? (a fine kopek).
???‚???° ???±???????‘?‚???? ?? ???????µ?µ?‡????. (The duck is going to cost you a pretty penny.) ???‚?€?????‚?µ?»?????‚???? ???»?µ?‚???‚ ?? ???????µ?µ?‡????. (Construction costs are going to go through the roof.)
Stay tuned! Next week: ways to express poverty.
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.