# colors



## Apa2001

Does someone know, what the various colors in Russian mean? Голубой, Зелёный и так проше?


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## Ptak

> Does someone know, what the various colors in Russian mean? Голубой, зелёный и так далее?


 
голубой means (sky) blue
зеленый means green
and so on.

Your question is ununderstandable.


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## Kolan

Ptak said:


> голубой means (sky) blue


*baby blue*, as well


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## Carrie2

I would usually translate голубой as light blue, and синий as dark blue. But Apa2001, why don't you just use a dictionary?


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## Kolan

Carrie2 said:


> translate голубой as light blue, and синий as dark blue.


*Light blue* would be *светло-синий, *and *dark blue*, accordingly - *тёмно-синий*.

Голубой is a different nuance, out of the range of "*blues"*.

Just *blue* = *синий*.

I do not think, that many dictionaries do point out such a subtle difference, indeed. That's why we probably need an epithetic description, such as *sky* or *baby blue*, as suggested above.


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## Carrie2

Kolan said:


> Голубой is a different nuance, out of the range of "*blues"*.


No, I have to disagree with you here - apart from anything else, "sky blue" and "baby blue" _are_ within the range of "blues". I'm sure we don't need to come to blows over it, though!


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## cyanista

Perhaps this thread could be of interest:

ASL: Words for the colour blue.


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## Kolan

Carrie2 said:


> No, I have to disagree with you here - apart from anything else, "sky blue" and "baby blue" _are_ within the range of "blues". I'm sure we don't need to come to blows over it, though!


Well, this may be true in English where the difference is subtle (if we are talking about the same color), but Russian голубой is, suprisingly, considered to be a quite distinct matter colorwise (and, accordingly, the respective term which has acquired also other different meanings). 

*Examples*: на *голубом* глазу, *голубая* мечта, *голубой* воришка, (просто) _*голубой*_... etc. They cannot be just _blue_ or _синий_ of any hue or saturation.

That's why it comes to a tricky point when a proper translation is needed. I must admit that both _baby_ or _sky_ blue are way approximate and even misleading for голубой. (I would say, it should be rather something like milky blue, which is not properly blue.) For some reason, the Russian language distinguishes this color to such an extent that it merites a special word.


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## Kolan

Talking about *skies*, it is also worth of mentioning that both небесно-синий and небесно-голубой exist, and, after all, they are not the same.


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## floridian002

*"Examples*: на *голубом* глазу, *голубая* мечта, *голубой* воришка"

Would you mind explaining the meaning of these idioms?


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## Carrie2

Kolan said:


> Well, this may be true in English where the difference is subtle (if we are talking about the same color), but Russian голубой is, suprisingly, considered to be a quite distinct matter colorwise (and, accordingly, the respective term which has acquired also other different meanings).


Well yes, my point was rather that this is a difference between English and Russian!


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## Q-cumber

floridian002 said:


> *"Examples*: на *голубом* глазу, *голубая* мечта, *голубой* воришка"
> 
> Would you mind explaining the meaning of these idioms?



The expression *на голубом* глазу, is usually associated with a lie. *Врать на голубом глазу ->* To lie while looking sincere and innocent, showing no emotion, without batting an eyelid... (this is because bright blue eyes generally look childish and innocent).  

*голубая* мечта, 
is kinda greatest dream (desire, ambition) of one's live. Usually it is extremely difficult or virtually impossible to achieve.  I suppose the expression implies the blue sky as a high and distant goal. The phrase is often used ironically.

* голубой воришка"* 

Голуб*о*й вор*и*шка <diminutive of *вор* - a thief > - "the shy thief" is character from an extremelly popular Russian novel - The Twelve Chairs by Ilf and Petrov. (I like it very much. The English translation of the book can be found HERE).  I afraid you will need to read the book (or, at least, the approopriate chapters) to understand the expression well.



> The Assistant Warden of  the Second  Home  of Stargorod Social Security Administration  was a  shy little  thief.  His whole being protested against stealing,  yet it  was impossible for  him not to  steal.  He  stole and was ashamed  of  himself.  He stole  constantly and was  constantly  ashamed  of himself, which was why his smoothly shaven cheeks always burned with a blush of confusion, shame, bashfulness and embarrassment.


 
By the way, the Chapter VIII's name (Голубой воришка) was translated into English as The Bashful Chiseller.

The expression is the authours' invention...I doubt we'd succeed in analysing its semantics.

PS There is another popuplar expression that origins from an Ilf and Petrov's book ("The Golden Calf"): "Принести на блюдечке с *голубой* каёмочкой".


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## floridian002

спасибо за очень детальный ответ.
Я тоже нашел другое определение для "голубая мечта" на мултитран, они определяют его вот так "предмет вожделения, красавица", 
Вы с этим согласен?  
"ну посмотри на ее, она голубая мечта"



люди так говорят?

и кстати спасибо за рекомендацию, всегда ищу хорошие романы.


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## Q-cumber

floridian002 said:


> спасибо за очень детальный ответ.
> Я тоже нашел другое определение для "голубая мечта" на мултитран, они определяют его вот так "предмет вожделения, красавица",
> Вы с этим согласны? (Or: Ты с этим согласен?)



Нет, я, честно говоря, с этим определением не согласен. *Голубая мечта* - это не предмет или человек...это *желание * <desire - either passive or active> достичь чего-либо или обладать чем-то. Причём речь, как правило, идёт о каких-то долгосрочных <long-term> планах.
Моя голубая мечта - завоевать сердце этой недоступной красавицы и жениться на ней. 
Она - моя голубая мечта.  



> "ну посмотри на ее, она голубая мечта"
> люди так говорят?



Нет, люди так не говорят. Подобная фраза звучит неестественно. 



> ...и, кстати, спасибо за рекомендацию, всегда ищу хорошие романы.



Поскольку Вы, судя по всему, отлично владеете русским языком, попробуйте почитать Ильфа и Петрова в в оригинале.  .


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## Kolan

Q-cumber said:


> Поскольку Вы, судя по всему, отлично владеете русским языком, попробуйте почитать Ильфа и Петрова в в оригинале. .


I managed to find the most comprehensive edition here. 

http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Dunes/1927/

And it is free, too.


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## dudasd

Q-cumber said:


> The expression *на голубом* глазу, is usually associated with a lie. *Врать на голубом глазу ->* To lie while looking sincere and innocent, showing no emotion, without batting an eyelid... (this is because bright blue eyes generally look childish and innocent).
> 
> *голубая* мечта,
> is kinda greatest dream (desire, ambition) of one's live. Usually it is extremely difficult or virtually impossible to achieve. I suppose the expression implies the blue sky as a high and distant goal. The phrase is often used ironically.
> 
> *голубой воришка"*
> 
> Голуб*о*й вор*и*шка <diminutive of *вор* - a thief > - "the shy thief" is character from an extremelly popular Russian novel - The Twelve Chairs by Ilf and Petrov. (I like it very much. The English translation of the book can be found HERE). I afraid you will need to read the book (or, at least, the approopriate chapters) to understand the expression well.


 
One more idea: comparison with some other Slavic languages and with Medieval Slavonic leads to another word of the same root - *golub* (*голубка*) = pidgeon. Adjectives derived directly from "golub" also mean "innocent, tame". There are phrases like "golubija narav" (lit: "pidgeon-like nature" = soft nature); "golubija bezazlenost" ("pidgeon-like innocence" = an absolute innocence; if I remember well, Dostoyevski uses that or a very similar phrase when speaking about his own story "Uncle's Dream").


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## Kolan

dudasd said:


> Adjectives derived directly from "golub" also mean "innocent, tame". There are phrases like "golubija narav" (lit: "pidgeon-like nature" = soft nature); "golubija bezazlenost" ("pidgeon-like innocence" = an absolute innocence;


It is also interesting to note that, unlike this common belief, pigeons are of a quite hostile nature (and nice colors) and would normally kill a weaker adversary in altercations for food, besides their shit and illnesses that they spread all over the places.

In Russian голубь would never be *голубой*, it may be *сизый*. ("сизый голубочек")


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## Kolan

Kolan said:


> (просто) _*голубой*_... etc. They cannot be just _blue_ or _синий_ of any hue or saturation.


A special meaning exists in Russian also if *голубой *is used as a noun or an adjective to a male person, pointing out his homosexuality. Obviously, in English a _light blue male (person) _would make no sense at all.


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