# You should know better



## JONO.

How would you translate that?  

example: 

- You should know better than to mess with me. 
- Shame on you, you should know better. 
- You should know better by now. 

Is there such an expression in Russian? 

Thanks,


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## rusita preciosa

No. It depends on the context.


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## Maroseika

More or less universal equivalent is будешь знать or будешь знать, как...


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## rusita preciosa

Maroseika said:


> будешь знать or будешь знать, как...


I have to diasgree. It is more like "знаешь же, что нельзя / некрасиво / не положено..."


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## morzh

rusita preciosa said:


> I have to diasgree. It is more like "знаешь же, что нельзя / некрасиво / не положено..."



Agreed.

Also: "тебе надо бы знать, что...".

You should know better than put your fingers in the outlet - Тебе надо бы знать (Знаешь же), что не следует совать пальцы в розетку.


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## VelikiMag

What does it mean in Russian _тебе виднее_?


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## Orlin

VelikiMag said:


> What does it mean in Russian _тебе виднее_?


Дословно "Теби jе видниjе", иначе ни ja не знам шта тачно значи.


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## Awwal12

"Тебе виднее" ~"you should know better" (as a statement that "he" really knows or at least should know the subject better than the speaker, or is more competent to make some related decision)
"Тебе лучше знать" is a completely synonymous construction.


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## morzh

Тебе виднее - you know better than I (we) do. Also can be translated is "It is your decision / The choice is yours/ up to you ".


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## morzh

Awwal12 said:


> "Тебе виднее" ~"you should know better" (as a statement that "he" really knows or at least should know the subject better than the speaker)
> "Тебе лучше знать" is a completely synonymous construction.



No. 
Again, "*You should know better*" is an idiom and means what Rusita said, "Тебе не следовало бы...."

If you said "You know better than we do" - then yes.


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## Awwal12

> Again, "You should know better" is an idiom and means what Rusita said, "Тебе не следовало бы...."


Let's check English explanatory dictionaries.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary gives 2 related constructions:
1) know better (than sb)
to know more than someone else because you have more experience and more skill
2) know better (than to do sth)
to be wise or moral enough not to do something
As you see, the very phrase "(should) know better" doesn't contain one exact meaning, that is defined by following arguments only.


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## rusita preciosa

Awwal,
Although JONO is usually is not very generous in providing context , this time his/her context is sufficient to determine that *to know better* has the meaning of (2) in your example.

EDIT: At the same time, as I mentioned above, the context he/she provided is not enough to come up with a good Russian equivalent.


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## morzh

Awwal12 said:


> Let's check English explanatory dictionaries.
> Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary gives 2 related constructions:
> 1) know better (than sb)
> to know more than someone else because you have more experience and more skill
> 2) know better (than to do sth)
> to be wise or moral enough not to do something
> As you see, the very phrase "(should) know better" doesn't contain one  exact meaning, that is defined by following arguments only.




What you gave here is "know better" explanation.
What we are talking about is "you SHOULD know better" which is an idiom. Which is clear from JONO's context.


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## Awwal12

I still don't see why such phrase should be idiomatic in the meaning specified by you in any possible context.


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## morzh

I don't know either. 
But whenever someone says "you *should* know better" in the context given by JONO (and I usually do not look in dictionaries - I speak from my own experience) this meaning is the only one I ever hear.

PS. It is possible I should not call this an idiom, but should call it a stable expression. Which does not change what I said above.
PPS. One more time, the context was provided and this was what we were discussing. With the exception of "than somebody" following the phrase, it would be clear even without the context.


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## Awwal12

> But whenever someone says "you should know better" in the context given by JONO


Dear Morzh, it seems you've missed the fact that I was replying to your message:


> Again, "You should know better" is an idiom and means what Rusita said, "Тебе не следовало бы...."


Which was the answer to mine:


> "Тебе виднее" ~"you should know better" (as a statement that "he" really knows or at least should know the subject better than the speaker, or is more competent to make some related decision)


I don't realize how is it related directly to the phrases provided by JONO at all.


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## morzh

Awwal12 said:


> Dear Morzh, it seems you've missed the fact that I was replying to your message:
> 
> Which was the answer to mine:
> 
> I don't realize how is it related directly to the phrases provided by JONO at all.




I give up. This is becoming convoluted.


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## Garbuz

morzh said:


> &quot;тебе надо бы знать, что...&quot;.
> 
> You should know better than put your fingers in the outlet - Тебе надо бы знать (Знаешь же), что не следует совать пальцы в розетку.


 
I wonder what you are arguing about when the answer has already been given in the post above.


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## morzh

Not sure I've understood.


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