# don't say that!



## JONO.

How would you translate this to russian?

Example: "hey, don't say that! I would've really helped you if I wasn't so busy."

Or "hey don't say that! Of course I'm your best friend"

My guess: "Ne gavaree tak"

Other variations would be greatly appreciated.


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## Maroseika

Не говори так? А как именно не говори? Your variant would work maybe in reply to Какая же ты зараза, не помог мне! or smth like that but even then it's a bit unnatural, as in the badly translated movie.
Maybe you can use Да ладно (тебе), Да брось, etc., as always depending on the context which you have not provided.


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## morzh

"Не говори так!" - absolutely normal way of putting it; I've read that somewhere in a classic literature, as "Не говорите так!"

Also:

"Не нужно так говорить!"

Also, I think, it can be put as a rhetorical question, 

"Ну зачем Вьi так!" or "Ну зачем так говорить", "Ну зачем же так".
Also


"Зря тъi (Вьi) так".


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## morzh

Пример ("не говори так").

"Не говорите так! -- взмолился Ганс. -- Разрази меня гром, если я  поступлю не подружески!" И, нахлобучив шляпу, он поплелся по дороге с  тяжеленным мешком за плечами.  (Oscar Wilde, "the devoted friend", Russian translation).
"'Oh, don't say that,' cried little Hans,...


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## Maroseika

Quite a significant example, really. Isn't Не говорите так as typical for up-to-date oral speech as Разрази меня гром?


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## galaxy man

Hey, don't say that! I would've really helped you.
Да что ты говоришь! Я конечно помог бы тебе.
(My two cents, although not verbatim. Please tell me if it is too much off the mark.)


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## JONO.

Thanks guys, does "nu ti chto?" Work here?


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## Maroseika

JONO. said:


> Thanks guys, does "nu ti chto?" Work here?


http://www.google.ru/search?hl=ru&s...2&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=русская+клавиатура&gs_rfai=


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## Saluton

JONO. said:


> Thanks guys, does "nu ti chto?" Work here?


Yes, it does.


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## morzh

galaxy man said:


> Hey, don't say that! I would've really helped you.
> Да что ты говоришь! Я конечно помог бы тебе.
> (My two cents, although not verbatim. Please tell me if it is too much off the mark.)



No, absolutely not the same.

"Да что ты говоришь!" = "Wow! You don't say!"/"Really!" etc.
It's an exclamation of a surprise/bewilderment/disbelief.


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## morzh

JONO. said:


> Thanks guys, does "nu ti chto?" Work here?



I am not sure where that came from, but no, if it is pertinent to the topic, it is not the same at all.

It means "so what!"


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## JONO.

morzh said:


> I am not sure where that came from, but no, if it is pertinent to the topic, it is not the same at all.
> 
> It means "so what!"



Nu "TI" shto?


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## Sobakus

morzh said:


> No, absolutely not the same.
> 
> "Да что ты говоришь!" = "Wow! You don't say!"/"Really!" etc.
> It's an exclamation of a surprise/bewilderment/disbelief.



It can very well mean "what (horrible things) you're saying!" and is quite similar in meaning to "don't sayu that". The meaning depends on the context and intonation: the sarcastic one stresses что, the sincere - говоришь.


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## morzh

JONO. said:


> Nu "TI" shto?



Oh, "ты" (I read it as "и"). This is what Latin transliteration does to me.

"Ну ты что!"

Well, yes, it's closer but still not the same. 
As a matter of fact, different people may choose to say one or another in the same situation, and it's about their personal styles of objecting to something, but then it is still a different exclamation and thus has a different analog in English.

This one is closer to "Oh, c'mon, how can you say that!"


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## morzh

Sobakus said:


> It can very well mean "what (horrible things) you're saying!" and is quite similar in meaning to "don't sayu that". The meaning depends on the context and intonation: the sarcastic one stresses что, the sincere - говоришь.



Yes, also that. Though I've noticed when it is used in the sense of "what horrible things you are saying!" it often  would be "да что ты ТАКОЕ говоришь(-то)"., or "что ты говоришь" (without "да" - it helps to stress "что"). Or also "Подумай, ...." could be added at the beginning (Подумай, что ты такое говоришь!).


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## galaxy man

Thank you for the comments, Morzh and Sobakus.

While learning a second language we usually remember not only the meaning or use patterns of a certain expression, but also the intonation, and even facial expression, of the person from whom we learned if.

This is how, thanks to a favorite teacher, the phrase _Да что ты говоришь!_ became imprinted in my mind as criticism, with big exclamation points, peppered with strong disapproval that such a stupid thing could be said at all!

Of course the individual experience does not deny the other mainstream uses of the same phrase...


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## morzh

galaxy man said:


> This is how, thanks to a favorite teacher, the phrase _Да что ты говоришь!_ became imprinted in my mind as criticism, with big exclamation points, peppered with strong disapproval that such a stupid thing could be said at all!



Examples:

1. (genuine surpise, negative)
- В етом году обещают необьiчно сильньiе морозьi.
- Что Вьi говорите! А я-то даже пальто теплое еще не купил.
--
(genuine surprise, positive)
- Слух из бухгалтерии дошел - нам зарплату повьiшают.
- Что Вьi говорите, вот не ожидал!

2. Sarcastic argument (meaning - what a nonsense!)
- Квадрат суммьi катетов равен квадрату гипотенузьi.
- Да что Вьi говорите! Пойду огорчу Пифагора! Он-то, бедняга, все продолжает думать, что сумма квадратов катетов.....

3. What horrible things you are saying - indignation.
- Петрова с утра в милицию забрали. Наверное, он преступник какой. Я давно подозревал, что с ним что-то нечисто.
- Да, помилуйте, что Вьi такое говорите! Как Вьi можете! Петров - прекрасньiй человек, а Вьi слухи разносите! Стьiдно!

4. What nonsense you are saying (no sarcasm).
- А вот, говорят, в России медведи по улицам ходят.
- Да ну, что Вьi говорите такое......я в России уже 40 лет живу, медведей только в зоопарке видел, а в Америку вон приехал, так на второй день на севере Нью Джерси черного медведя увидел, вот так, прямо на улице перед домом.

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PS. When used as a pure "Что Вьi говорите!" it is usually either sarcasm or genuine surprise.
With addition of "да", "такое", "-то", "помилуйте", it becomes criticism or indignation.

PPS. Even if you are "на тьi" with a person, when expressing sarcasm (example 2) "Вьi" is often use to add exaggerated politeness to intensify sarcasm.
"Тьi" is also possible.


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## galaxy man

Thank you, Morzh, quite a comprehensive oveerview


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## Wertis

JONO. said:


> How would you translate this to russian?
> 
> Example: "hey, don't say that! I would've really helped you if I wasn't so busy."
> 
> Or "hey don't say that! Of course I'm your best friend"
> 
> My guess: "Ne gavaree tak"
> 
> Other variations would be greatly appreciated.



I would translate "hey, don't say that" as "Не говори так" or "Не говорите так" depending on who you're applying to. The second part of your phrase means "Я бы и в самом деле помог тебе/вам, если бы не был так занят". The first part of the sentence was probably said because the person who didn't get help which jhe thought he would get accused the other person of not helping him advisedly. That's one of the possible versions. When you say "Не говори так" or "Не говорите так" you want to show your great surprise and failure to understand why the other person is acuusing you of something bad or suspecting you of refusing to help him/her. 


"hey don't say that! Of course I'm your best friend" is similar to the first phrase. I will give you one of the possible dialoues where this sentence can be encountered:

Person 1: You promised to keep this information secret!!!
Person 2: Yes, I remember, but I had to tell it to your brother because we didn't know where you were. We thought you had been abducted. So I had to tell him about your second flat
Person 1: You shouldn't have done that, anyway. Now I afraid to trust you. I thought that you were my best friend, but I'm not sure now.
Person 2: "hey don't say that! Of course I'm your best friend"

I think this example will make it clearer how your original phrase can be used.


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## MaRussKa

in slang it may be: 
не гони! / хватит гнать! 
ну вот не надо!
перестань!
прекрати!
слушай, хватит, а!
да ты что!
- я же твой лучший друг! конечно, я бы помог тебе, если бы не был занят!

galaxy man:
an example of sarcasm.. 
- Я обещаю, в следующий раз точно не опоздаю.
- Да что ты говоришь! (этот не верит, т.к. тот всегда опаздывает).


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