# You Better... (Threat)



## RhoKappa

Is there an equivalent Russian expression to convey threat, or would a simple translation suffice? Here are some examples.

1. You better pay your rent or else I will evict you.
2. You better be at the meeting or else I will fire you.
3. You better behave yourself or else I will never speak to you again.

I understand that "or else" is "а то" in Russian. Is there an equivalent to "you better"?  I guess that тебе лучше would not be correct--or is it?


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## gvozd

RhoKappa said:


> I guess that тебе лучше would not be correct--or is it?



Тебе лучше (вам лучше) is perfectly OK.


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## LilianaB

I think in the first and the second sentence вам лучше should be used. Anything else would sound too familiar or even rude.


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## morzh

RhoKappa said:


> Is there an equivalent Russian expression to convey threat, or would a simple translation suffice? Here are some examples.
> 
> 1. You better pay your rent or else I will evict you. - 1) more forceful - Лучше плати, не то выселю. 2) more polite - Вам бы лучше заплатить, в противном случае я вынужден буду Вас выселить.
> 2. You better be at the meeting or else I will fire you. - Лучше приходи на собрание, не то я тебя уволю.
> 3. You better behave yourself or else I will never speak to you again. - Лучше веди себя прилично, или я с тобой больше не разговариваю. (normally it'd be "Или ты ведешь себя прилично, или я с тобой больше не разговариваю").
> 
> I understand that "or else" is "а то" in Russian. Is there an equivalent to "you better"?  I guess that тебе лучше would not be correct--or is it?



PS. Often it is "лучше бы".

- Лучше бы ты там не появлялся.

Also "тебе бы лучше"

- Тебе бы лучше там не появляться.


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## Maroseika

In all the cases literal translation (Тебе лучше or just лучше) may sound unnatural. Genreally, your choice depends on emotion:
Лучше / Вы уж лучше / Лучше уж / заплатите /Вы бы лучше заплатили, а то выселю.
Не придешь на встречу, уволю. Тебе там лучше быть, а то уволю.
Веди себе пристойно / Вел бы ты себя поприличнее, а то вообще не буду разговаривать с тобой.
Etc.


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## gvozd

morzh said:


> - Лучше бы ты там не появлялся.



I doubt that that sounds like a threat. Rather like a grievance after a person had made that inappropriate appearance.


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## Благо

RhoKappa said:


> Is there an equivalent Russian expression to convey threat, or would a simple translation suffice? Here are some examples.
> 
> 1. You better pay your rent or else I will evict you.
> 2. You better be at the meeting or else I will fire you.
> 3. You better behave yourself or else I will never speak to you again.
> 
> I understand that "or else" is "а то" in Russian. Is there an equivalent to "you better"?  I guess that тебе лучше would not be correct--or is it?



I think the correct form is "you*'d* better" or "you *had *better", even if it's hard to notice in spoken language.


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## morzh

gvozd said:


> I doubt that that sounds like a threat. Rather like a grievance after a person had made that inappropriate appearance.



Who said we are talking strictly about threats?

"You better" may be used both as a threat or a warning.


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## morzh

Благо said:


> I think the correct form is "you*'d* better" or "you *had *better", even if it's hard to notice in spoken language.



Written - yes, spoken - it is almost never "you'd" unless one wants to stress the threat and says "you had better.....". Otherwise "'d" is not just muffled, but simply not even there.


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## Благо

morzh said:


> Written - yes, spoken - it is almost never "you'd" unless one wants to stress the threat and says "you had better.....". Otherwise "'d" is not just muffled, but simply not even there.



I had a feeling you'd object  While I realize that на вкус и цвет товарища нет, Longman pronunciation dictionary says "_strong form_ ju:d _weak form_ jud".

Also:
http://upodn.com/phonet.asp
and
http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=you'd better

But, yes, many Americans just don't bother writing or pronouncing the "d". Who am I to say they're wrong?


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## morzh

Благо said:


> I had a feeling you'd object  While I realize that на вкус и цвет товарища нет, Longman pronunciation dictionary says "_strong form_ ju:d _weak form_ jud".
> 
> Also:
> http://upodn.com/phonet.asp
> and
> http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=you'd better
> 
> But, yes, many Americans just don't bother writing or pronouncing the "d". Who am I to say they're wrong?



Well, RhoKappa seems to be a native; he uses it as "you better".

What is "Longman"? (It's been close to 20 years since I own any dictionary myself) - British or US? Or both?


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## Благо

morzh said:


> Well, RhoKappa seems to be a native; he uses it as "you better".
> 
> What is "Longman"? (It's been close to 20 years since I own any dictionary myself) - British or US? Or both?



The "native" argument... probably exceeds the scope of the thread, so let's just say that, yes, many natives say "you better".

Pearson/Longman is a British company. The dictionary I referred to includes both American and British pronunciation and spelling, but makes no distinction in the case of "you'd".

I thought you used paper dictionaries, may I ask you what online Russian-English dictionary you use? (Yes, I've seen the Learner's corner). Not a chance you have a Russian-capable e-book, right?

Заранее большое спасибо


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## LilianaB

gvozd said:


> I doubt that that sounds like a threat. Rather like a grievance after a person had made that inappropriate appearance.


It sounds like a threat to me. It would not work, however, with the eviction.


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## gvozd

LilianaB said:


> It sounds like a threat to me. It would not work, however, with the eviction.



I really fail to imagine a person which has 3 native languages. I disagree about that phrase but I won't insist.


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## LilianaB

That a person speaks a lot of languages does not mean they do not make mistakes. I think it would not work with eviction because it is not strong enough and formal enough.


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## Explorer41

Благо said:


> I thought you used paper dictionaries, may I ask you what online Russian-English dictionary you use? (Yes, I've seen the Learner's corner).
> Заранее большое спасибо



Hello! Take a look at http://lingvo.yandex.ru. It has good English-Russian and Russian-English dictionaries as well as Spainish-Russian and Russian-Spainish dictionaries which _seem to be good_ (at least, entries on the verbs "быть" and "estar" seem to be reasonably comprehensive  ) and some other translation dictionaries (would you like to read Ukrainian?  ).


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## morzh

Благо said:


> The "native" argument... probably exceeds the scope of the thread, so let's just say that, yes, many natives say "you better".
> 
> Pearson/Longman is a British company. The dictionary I referred to includes both American and British pronunciation and spelling, but makes no distinction in the case of "you'd".
> 
> I thought you used paper dictionaries, may I ask you what online Russian-English dictionary you use? (Yes, I've seen the Learner's corner). Not a chance you have a Russian-capable e-book, right?
> 
> Заранее большое спасибо



I do not use dictionaries period.
There is one exception: I use on-line dictionaries only in cases where there's a dispute and I need to give a reference to something with more authority than just my humble self, to corroborate my point.
When that comes, I only use "Thefreedictionary.com" - seems to be the only place that does not try to open some pop-ups and does not suffer from malware it tries to send to you, as Merriam-Webster does sometimes.


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## morzh

gvozd said:


> I really fail to imagine a person which has 3 native languages. I disagree about that phrase but I won't insist.



My cousin is. She grew up in Israel in a Russian-speaking family, so both Hebrew and Russian are native (and she is quite fluent in Russian, I can attest to that), and English in Israel is also learned by many the way native languages are (absorbed from the environment), as she was fully fluent in it while still a little girl.

Which, as Liliana justly noted, does not mean a person would speak any of those flawlessly; au contre, more often than not multi-linguals make more mistakes in any given language they speak than monolinguals. Matter of fact, those who learn language and become fluent in it, stand a good chance to speak a better language than that spoken by a bi-lingual, especially if it is a "lesser" of the two languages (less important).

My son is bi-lingual, but while his English is now age-appropriate for an American boy, his Russian (that he learned in the family, and that is supported in the family as the exclusive communication language) is quite noticeably worse than it would be, had it been spoken exclusively. But it is fluent Russian nevertheless.


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