Customer Reviews

Dirty Russian: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!" (Dirty Everyday Slang)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

They weren't kidding about dirty! Just reading the English on some of the phrases in this book were making me laugh out loud. There's a lot of things in here you might not use everyday, but the fact that it has been translated is appreciated. As another reviewer said not everything is dirty and this is true. I would consider myself at the intermediate Russian level so I really like how they arranged stuff in sections in English. The only thing better would be to list phrases/words alphabetically in English and I think an index in future editions would be a nice touch. They also provide some background on various topics and those are enjoyable to read. I have the Dictionary of Russian Slang and Colloquial Expressions, 3rd Ed. and although more complete it's hard to find a phase/word you want to say because it's alphabetized in Russian. If you don't know the words in Russian already it's hard to find the right phrase. All in all I think it's a good book and am glad I gave it a try. So far I have found one spelling error (i.e. they used "s" in the Russian part instead of "'c") and I tried a few of the more mild phrases out on my native Russian tutor and she agreed with the translation.

I'm an American expat living in Moscow. I bought this book at a local bookstore here and am so glad I did! It is not only hilarious, but both the language and the short cultural notes are SPOT ON! As for the reviewer who cautioned against using the slang with "educated Russians", well duh! It's all about context, as the authors explain in their introduction. There is a time and a place and obviously you need to exercise some judgment on that in order not to offend. Having said that, however, my Russian friends and I have had a great time with this book. What I especially appreciate is that the translations are not literal and slavish--instead the authors have provided real equivalents for words that I used to think were just untranslatable. A glossary would have been helpful, and the pronunciation line is a bit awkward at times, but the phrases given and their translations are excellent. Like I said, I live in Moscow and I have HEARD people talking just like this book! Sure, it's usually when they're drunk and sloppy, but how often do you a find a phrase book that captures that aspect of language and culture? And it exists, believe me. But I agree that you shouldn't head off to a business meeting with this book in your pocket. If you do, it and you sound like an idiot, then it's your own damn fault.

My first language is Russian and I bought this book to learn some English slang.
The writers are wife and husband, seems her first language is English , because English sentences sound about right. The husband's first language is Russian and seems he doesn't know English very well and Russian either.
All what you will find in this book is a slang of neighborhood, where husband was raised and grew up, probably. And seems it's in the middle of nowhere.....
It's not a slang you can use every day all around Russia or CIS, nobody will understand you at all. Russian sentences in this book have no glue...
Translations are messed up, seems he had bad time to explain his wife what does he mean, because if you know both languages you can see that translations have different meaning ...like "I want a drink" and they translate into Russian like "I'm thirsty, let's get drunk!"
Guys,really?
It can be fun to read first 3-5 pages, than they repeat themselves.
I can imagine if someone use this book to impress his Russian girlfriend or girl in the bar. Be ready to see "?????" faces.
This book is a shame and I'm sorry it went on the market!

This book is great. It was exactly what I was looking for. It truly does cover a very broad array of various slang terms and situations--nothing is left untouched! All the things that you will not find in the Russian grammar books and dictionaries. Both words and phrases, and sometimes responses. I hope there will be a version 2. I give it the highest reference.

I just got this book today after waiting almost 3 months for it to be released and shipped! Guess it was back ordered or something... either way it was definitely worth the wait! I recommend this to anyone looking for a slang resource/reference that's used today and not last decade! There's more than just bad words in this book! ;p

Very highly recommended! :)

My Russian hubby actually bought this at B&N and not only is it entertaining to read, but it is a great little phrasal reference tool for both English-American and Russian speakers alike! The jargon, idioms and slang are the most accurate translations (direct and equivalent contextual meanings) that we've ever come across in the many "slang" books we've perused.

Treat yourself to some much needed laughs and language fun while taking a break from that monotonous 50 lb grammar book. I (and my husband) highly recommend!

This book will give you a wide range of the nastiest slang available. The scope is fairly broad - from the prison language of the soviet era to netspeak. Authors have done an outstanding research in a somewhat unconventional area.

Readers should beware that unless you want to come across a "silyuk" (analogy of redneck) you should use these scarcely. That being said, you most likely will have an accent saying them sounding hilarious.

The book gives a fair amount of "disclaimers" about the appropriateness of usage of certain terms in some cases outright discouraging using of some.


Some gripes:

on page 88 it states that 9 out of 10 people attribute their sickness to atmospheric pressure, to weather or to draft; this, of course, is said in a very condescending manner, that to "westerners," the more evolved species, it would sound like a senseless noise. It is not the first time I hear this, so I feel a need to rebuke that.

- the phrase "to catch COLD" is probably the most frequent synonym for "illness" in the US

- no need to be a doctor to understand that our immune system operates with different scales of efficiency based on the surrounding temperature

- "not feeling well" and being sick are not the same thing - during soviet times radio announcers were giving a temperature and atmospheric pressure, so one's headache was easily explainable if it occurred only during certain conditions. No doubt that this would have similar effect if Western weather channels provided similar format


On page 149 Zemfira is being described as "halfway decent" I have not seen these words in the same sentence before... subtracting a star for that :)

Recommendations for second edition:

St. Petesburg's slang of Mitki is not covered at all.
Kiev club speak "Paragvaiski chos" should also be included.

I agree with other reviewers but could have used a vocabulary section for common slang, both obscene and not. Explaining the conjugation of frequently used verbs would have helped. That said, I especially appreciated the explanation of common social situations and cultural traits. This fills the requirement of a "language the way real people use it" book that is SO helpful before traveling to a place.

Straight up I knew this was not the type of book you would learn Russian from! It is a great way to learn some of the more colourful Russian terms! I've been learning Russian for awhile now and was looking for something fun and a bit out there. Well done to the writers for putting pen to paper and getting this book published. Completley innappropriate, and many of these terms would never be used in public but a good laugh and a bundle of fun anyway!

I bought this book before a recent trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg. I didn't find myself actually using any of the phrases I found here, but still, it was good for a lot of laughs between myself and my native Russian speaking friends.