# Just as well (that ...)



## eni8ma

How do you say "Just as well" in Russian?

It seems to be an idiom in English that is more than the sum of its parts.

One translation (from reverso) is с тем же успехом, but I think that means 'just as easily', which isn't the same meaning.

Even I were to transliterate it into Russian, I doubt it would be what I intended.


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## Natalisha

eni8ma said:


> One translation (from reverso) is с тем же успехом, but I think that means 'just as easily', which isn't the same meaning.



С тем же успехом, с таким же успехом.


> Even I were to transliterate it into Russian, I doubt it would be what I intended.


Nobody can be sure having no context.


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## eni8ma

So it changes?

e.g. 
Just as well I wasn't on that plane.
Just as well I didn't wash the car today.

(I wasn't meaning, "I did it just as well [as he did]" - I forgot that was a possible use)

Those sentences above are how I would speak. I guess the strict form would be:

It's just as well [that] I wasn't on that plane.
It's just as well [that] I didn't wash the car today.


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## Natalisha

eni8ma said:


> Those sentences above are how I would speak. I guess the strict form would be:
> 
> It's just as well [that] I wasn't on that plane.
> It's just as well [that] I didn't wash the car today.



We can't use "с тем же успехом" translating these sentences.

It's just as well [that] I wasn't on that plane. - (Пожалуй), хорошо, что меня не было в том самолете.
It's just as well [that] I didn't wash the car today. - (Пожалуй), хорошо, что я не помыл машину вчера.


Please don't forget to provide us with context each time you ask a question.


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## eni8ma

Natalisha said:


> Please don't forget to provide us with context each time you ask a question.



It's such a familiar phrase in English it didn't occur to me to put it in a sentence. 



Natalisha said:


> It's just as well [that] I wasn't on that plane. - (Пожалуй), хорошо, что меня не было в том самолете.
> It's just as well [that] I didn't wash the car today. - (Пожалуй), хорошо, что я не помыл машину вчера.



Those sentences sound as though they could also be translated as 
"It's good that I wasn't on that plane."
"It's good that I didn't wash the car today."

"Just as well" conveys a sense of "since this (often bad) thing has happened, I'm glad I didn't follow my original plan".

e.g. 
the plane was hijacked - so it's just as well I wasn't on that plane.
we just drove through a muddy puddle - so it's just as well I didn't wash the car today.

Saying "it's good that" might do, but it would have to be said with feeling 

Whew! It really makes me think about what I am actually saying when I have to explain it to someone who is not familiar with sayings we have used all our lives.

Perhaps that phrase does not have an equivalent in Russian?


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## Maroseika

eni8ma said:


> Perhaps that phrase does not have an equivalent in Russian?



In most cases it can be translated without any idiom, just in plane words. But sometimes you can say тем лучше or это (было) к лучшему and of course с тем же (с равным) успехом. Here are examples from my dictionary:

En route to the executive mezzanine, he encountered no one he knew. It was just as well. If he had been spoken to, whatever question had been put, he would have snarled a heated answer. (A. Hailey, ‘Airport’)
По пути к себе Мел не встретил никого из подчиненных. Тем лучше: обратись сейчас к нему кто-нибудь с вопросом, он мог бы ответить резкостью. 

All other articles can be obtained just as well on the spot.  Все другие предметы можно с таким же успехом достать на месте.


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## Natalisha

eni8ma said:


> e.g.
> *the plane was hijacked - so it's just as well I wasn't on that plane.
> *
> Saying "it's good that" might do, but it would have to be said with feeling


I usually use _Слава Богу_ in similar situations.


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## eni8ma

Natalisha said:


> I usually use _Слава Богу_ in similar situations.



Well, if the plane got hijacked, that probably would be what I'd say, too.

The car needing to be washed was probably the better example.



Maroseika said:


> En route to the executive mezzanine, he encountered no one he knew. It  was just as well. If he had been spoken to, whatever question had been  put, he would have snarled a heated answer. (A. Hailey, ‘Airport’)
> По пути к себе Мел не встретил никого из подчиненных. Тем лучше:  обратись сейчас к нему кто-нибудь с вопросом, он мог бы ответить  резкостью.



That's a good example.  I note that "Тем лучше" also translates as "so much the better", which I guess can be one of the shades of meaning of "just as well".  "Just as well" has more shades of meaning than I had realised.

Mind you, "just as well" sometimes applies to good situations, too.
e.g. a friend from out of town turns up to visit, so "it's just as well I baked a cake this morning" ('cos now we can share it for afternoon tea  )

Хорошо, что Я испёк торт сегодня утром.

OK, I'll use:
Хорошо, что = "it's good that" for everyday situations, 
Слава Богу for when I have avoided seriously bad situations, and 
Тем лучше for times when it is "so much the better"

Solved, I guess, unless anyone has further thoughts


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## Maroseika

eni8ma said:


> Mind you, "just as well" sometimes applies to good situations, too.
> e.g. a friend from out of town turns up to visit, so "it's just as well I baked a cake this morning" ('cos now we can share it for afternoon tea  )
> 
> Хорошо, что Я испёк торт сегодня утром.


Other variant: К счастью, у меня оказался торт, который я испек сегодня утром.





> OK, I'll use:
> Хорошо, что = "it's good that" for everyday situations,
> Слава Богу for when I have avoided seriously bad situations, and


Orthografically correct form is слава богу (because this is a stable saying). However religious people use to write cлава Богу even in such cases.


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## eni8ma

Could I say "Хорошо же, что ..."?
Хорошо же, что Я испёк торт сегодня утром.
Хорошо же, что Я не помыл машину вчера.


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## morzh

Just as well - Ну и хорошо, ну и слава Богу, тем лучше.


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## Natalisha

eni8ma said:


> Could I say "Хорошо же, что ..."?
> Хорошо же, что Я испёк торт сегодня утром.
> Хорошо же, что Я не помыл машину вчера.


I don't think we say so. But I suppose it will work in some situations.

 "Как хорошо, что...!" sounds better if you are looking for an emphatic phrase.


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## eni8ma

Ну и хорошо, что ... = "It's really good that ..."
Как хорошо, что...! = "How good that..."

Спасибо


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## morzh

eni8ma said:


> Could I say "Хорошо же, что ..."?
> Хорошо же, что Я испёк торт сегодня утром.
> Хорошо же, что Я не помыл машину вчера.




"Хорошо же" has, I think, two usages - try to remember them.

1. Exclamation, standalone.

"Хорошо же!".

It is somewhat threatening exclamation. "Just you wait!", or "OK" said in threatening, trouble-promissing tone of voice.

2. Convincing someone, soliciting their feedback (and hoping for them to agree). Same as "Правда же, хорошо, что (action here)....."

Хорошо же, что мы пришли, правда? - It is good that we cam, right?
Хорошо же, что мы сюда переехали! - It is good that we moved down here, right?


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## Благо

Can you also say "хорошо еще!"?

Edit: большое спасибо, Explorer


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## Explorer41

Благо said:


> Can you also say "хорошо еще!"?


Yes, but not always. We use this expression when something bad might happen but didn't due to some (often casual) circumstances. For example: "Я и забыл совсем про плиту. Хорошо ещё, огонь был маленький, чайник не успел выкипеть!"


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