English Words That Don’t Exist in Russian

In a previous article, the Liden and Denz blog presented a list of Russian words which cannot be directly translated into English. Today, I will reverse the concept and look at some English words with no Russian equivalent. This article will give a couple of examples of common English words which Russian speakers are lacking. Hopefully, you learn something about the Russian language and have a newfound appreciation for some English phrases!

1. Family Roles

In English, we have lots of words to group certain family members together. Although in Russian there is a word for ‘parents’, there is no way to say ‘siblings’ or ‘grandparents’. We use these words all the time, so it might be surprising that Russian speakers are able to manage without them! Instead of these grouping words, they have to be more specific. For example, they say ‘brothers and sisters’ instead of ‘siblings’ and ‘grandmother and grandfather’ instead of ‘grandparents’.  

2. Thing

In my opinion, this is the best word in the English language! It can be used in any context; anytime you have forgotten a detail or are lost for words, ‘thing’ is the best alternative. Unfortunately for Russian speakers, they don’t have such a word, and I definitely miss it when I am learning Russian. There are alternatives, but they are not as flexible as the English version. The most common option is вещь, however this is often used only to mean a physical thing, rather than an idea. Other words like штука, предмет, and существо can all be used in various contexts, but none of them is the perfect equivalent. 

3. Body parts

Another point of difference between English and Russian comes when talking about limbs. English has more words to talk about these body parts than Russian does. For example, Russian doesn’t have separate words for ‘arm’ and ‘hand’; they simply use ‘рука’ for both. Similarly, both ‘leg’ and ‘foot’ share one word in Russian, which is ‘нога’. Even fingers and toes are not differentiated! Although it may seem to English speakers that Russian has unnecessary confusion in this regard, it is pretty easy to understand the meaning from context. 

4. A and The

The most simple, yet most crucial English words are ‘a’ and ‘the’. English speakers probably use them in most sentences. However, Russian has no equivalent at all, and they are simply not included. The nuance is instead created by context, word order, and emphasis on certain words. Although the difference is small, it is perhaps the most important, because they are such common English words. 

5. Thirsty

Although Russian speakers can be hungry (голодный), when they are thirsty, they don’t use an equivalent phrase. Rather than saying ‘I’m thirsty’, they instead have to use a phrase like ‘I want to drink’ (я хочу пить) or ‘I am experiencing thirst’ (я испытываю жажду). There is a word in Russian that literally means thirsty, however, it is used to describe someone who is ambitious and desirous, rather than talking about the actually sensation of thirst. 

So, if you are translating or speaking Russian, be extra careful around these five topics! In a few cases, English has phrases and words which Russian simply can’t express, you will have to learn how to work your way around the differences. The Liden and Denz blog has lots of articles about the Russian language – check them out to learn more!