# Pick Me Up



## RhoKappa

This is a very simple expression I cannot find in any of my textbooks.  I know that the verb заидти means to go pick something up, but I do not think this verb is correct in the context of wanting a driver to pick you up.  Here are some very simple examples.

1. Tanya just flew in and called Yuri.  "Yuri, come pick me up at the airport!"
2. Konstantin always picks me up at the train station.

Как сказать по-русски?


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## Budspok

1. .....приЕдь заберИ менЯ из аэропОрта.
2. ....всегдА забирАет/ захвАтывает/ подбирАет менЯ со стАнции.


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## Q-cumber

We usually say: "Встреть/встречай меня в аэропорту! Ты меня встретишь в Шереметьево?"
Константин всегда встречает меня на/у станции.


.....приЕдь заберИ менЯ из аэропОрта." doesn't sound that smooth to me, whilst "забери меня с работы" is fine.


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## Vadim K

Q-cumber said:


> We usually say: "Встреть/встречай меня в аэропорту! Ты меня встретишь в Шереметьево?"
> Константин всегда встречает меня на/у станции.



I think that the phrase "_встреть меня/встреча́й меня _" are mainly used in Russian for future events. So in my opinion it can hardly be used in the first sentence where the girl already "_flew in_". I would say "_забери́ меня_" in the first sentence. And I would say "_встреча́ет меня_" in the second one.


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## Vovan

"Прие́дь" и "прие́хай" не считаются литературными формами в русском языке, согласно Орфоэпическому словарю русского языка Института русского языка АН СССР (1988).
(Translation: "Прие́дь" and "прие́хай" are substandard in Russian.)



RhoKappa said:


> Tanya just flew in and called Yuri. "Yuri, come pick me up at the airport!"


(Ты) мо́жешь прие́хать за мной в аэропо́рт?
(Ты) можешь забра́ть меня из аэропо́рта?
(Ты) можешь приехать (и) забрать меня из аэропорта?
Я (уже) в аэропорту́! Приезжа́й!
Я прилете́л(а)! Приезжа́й!​


RhoKappa said:


> Konstantin always picks me up at the train station.


Константи́н всегда́ приезжа́ет за мной на (железнодоро́жный) вокза́л.​


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## AlexSh

If you want to ask your *driver* to pick you up, say "*заедь *за мной".


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## Vovan

"Зае́дь" и "зае́хай" не считаются литературными формами в русском языке, согласно Орфоэпическому словарю русского языка Института русского языка АН СССР (1988).
(Translation: "Зае́дь" and "зае́хай" are substandard in Russian.)


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## AlexSh

Vovan said:


> "Зае́дь" и "зае́хай" не считаются литературными формами в русском языке, согласно Орфоэпическому словарю русского языка Института русского языка АН СССР (1988).
> (Translation: "Зае́дь" and "зае́хай" are substandard in Russian.)


Это очень распространенный разговорный вариант. За неимением удобного повелительного.


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## Vovan

AlexSh said:


> Это очень распространенный разговорный вариант.


Да, это так.
Я же обычно говорю "приехай", "заехай".

Однако изучающие русский как иностранный должны помнить, что эти формы нелитературны.


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## AlexSh

Vovan said:


> Да, это так.
> Я же обычно говорю "приехай", "заехай".
> 
> Однако изучающие русский как иностранный должны помнить, что эти формы нелитературны.


Меня устраивает определение "substandard" . Нелитературны несколько другие слова.


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## RhoKappa

Vadim K said:


> I think that the phrase "_встреть меня/встреча́й меня _" are mainly used in Russian for future events. So in my opinion it can hardly be used in the first sentence where the girl already "_flew in_". I would say "_забери́ меня_" in the first sentence. And I would say "_встреча́ет меня_" in the second one.


So "встречай меня" would be used if, for example, Tanya called Yuri from her vacation, telling him that she will return in a few days and will want him to pick her up at the airport?  Then when she flies into the airport and Yuri is not there she calls him and tells him "забери меня"?


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## Vadim K

RhoKappa said:


> So "встречай меня" would be used if, for example, Tanya called Yuri from her vacation, telling him that she will return in a few days and will want him to pick her up at the airport?  Then when she flies into the airport and Yuri is not there she calls him and tells him "забери меня"?



No. If they agreed before that Yuri would pick her up at the airport and she discovers that he isn't there after she has flown in she hardly tells him on the phone "_Забери меня_" , but rather "_Ты где?! Where are you_?!" She would say to him "_Забери меня_" only if they didn't agree to meet before.

But WHEN Tanya calls Yuri from her vacation, she can say "_Встречай меня_". It's also OK to say "_Забери меня_" in this situation. But it's not OK to say "_Встречай меня_" when she calls to Yuri after she flew in.


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## Stan0

Pretty much, granted it's more like a telegram "meet me 5th at 12", rather than a normal inquiry. In most cases we would say smth like:
Я прилетаю пятого вечером, сможешь встретить меня в аэропорту? (a question to say a friend, "встретить" here has same meaning as "pick me up in the airport", i.e. come by car, help with suitcases if necessary, drive somewhere and generally give a damn )
Мой рейс прибывает в 19:00, заберешь меня? -- Something like this my wife asked me a minute ago, she can say just "заберешь меня", 'cause it's kinda my thing. 
If we are organizing a conference we will probably arrange "встречу участников в аэропорту и трансфер". We will have designated people who will встречать прилетающих. People registering for conference will ask us smth like: "Будет ли кто-нибудь встречать нас в аэропорту?" And we will reply: "Да, мы вас встретим и довезем до гостиницы" (или "Вас встретят и довезут").
Interestingly, organisators themselves, sitting there with a huge table of arriving participants and tons of other problems on the first day will probably refer to the same actions like: "Так, Витя забирает Джорджа в 12 из аэропорта и везет его туда-то, а Таня забирает (кого-то) с вокзала и везет в гостиницу, а потом быстро едет в аэропорт, чтобы успеть встретить Майкла, который прилетает вечерним рейсом". Here, they may interchange these verbs as they like, but they probably use heartless "забирать" more often than "встречать".

Anyway, thinking very hard about it I would say you should probably always use встречать/встретить, unless it's about some kind of pick up which is presupposed, like it's relatives, friends or it's about a professional taxi driver, who забирает клиентов по одному адресу и отвозит их по другому.


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## Rosett

I think "забери" does not fit #1, unless Tanya is unable or not allowed to walk alone, or just uncomfortable or too stressed to go on her own. Good practical examples that always work in such a case would be: "Забери детей из школы!", or "Забери меня из вытрезвителя!".

#1 can be: "Юра, приезжай за мной в аэропорт!"

2. Константин всегда встречает меня на|привозит меня со станции. The second option here may be better, if Константин performs a daily routine that would include a two-way trip, as if in: "... и всегда отвозит меня (на станцию)".


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## Spikada

"To pick up" - most commonly used verbs:

- *Забрать* (что-то/кого-то откуда-то) = to pick up (smth/smbdy from somewhere). Most general verb. You can забрать pick up your kids from school by walking/biking/driving. It doesn't matter how you came to pick up. Can have a connotation of authority (забрать = "to take away"), responsibility, duty or ownership.

Note: Because "забрать" means to take away, to pick up, it does not focus on making a trip somewhere to pick up (smth/smbdy from somewhere), so to be more precise you can say "поехать/пойти/съездить/сходить [и] забрать (кого-то откуда-то)" = to drive/walk and pick up (smth/smbdy from somewhere), or "приехать/прийти [и] забрать (кого-то откуда-то)" = to come and pick up. In that case, поехать/пойти = to drive (to go by a transport e.g. bike/car/bus) one way, съездить/сходить = to go (by transport), to drive/walk and return to the same starting location, to make a round trip.

- Sometimes you can also use "*подобрать* (кого-то где-то)", if it was a random, accidental, unplanned event. E.g., you're driving in your car and see a friend on the side of the road. You pull over and pick them up. Or, "Водитель такси подобрал клиента" - "taxi driver picked up a client". Sounds very informal to me, as "подобрать" is used as "to pick up an unwanted/lost object from the ground" or used in phrases like "подобрать котенка" = "to find a stray kitten and bring it home".

- *Приехать за* (кем-то или чем-то куда-то) = to come using a means of transportation [vehicle/car/horse etc] (somewhere) to pick up (smth/smbdy from somewhere). Informal/formal.

- *Заехать за* (кем-то или чем-то куда-то) = to go/drop by using a means of transportation [e.g., to drive by car] (somewhere) to pick up (smth/smbdy from somewhere). Заехать can mean "to make a side-trip, a detour" or "make a short trip to stay somewhere for a short time", it sounds somewhat informal, or as last-minute arrangement - such as asking somebody who's out and about to pick up somebody in between their trips.

- *Встретить* (кого-то где-то) = to meet (somebody somewhere) [on arrival]. This verb implies that the person who is being picked up, just arrived there by some mode of transportation - airplane, train, bus. Can be used in both formal and informal contexts. Usually planned ahead.

From all the above options, "подобрать" is the most literal translation of "to pick up".

Disclaimer: My 5 cents. I'm not a linguist. The above isn't necessarily all correct and in no way is a comprehensive list of usage and meanings.


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## Spikada

1. Tanya just flew in and called Yuri. "Yuri, come pick me up at the airport!"
2. Konstantin always picks me up at the train station.

1. Таня только что прилетела и позвонила Юрию.
*"Юрий, приедь забери меня из аэропорта"* - most literal translation. Sounds unnatural. As if she's in trouble or desperate to get away from the airport.
*"Юрий, заедь за мной в аэропорт"* - sounds like he can do it on his way from work, or it's a short commute.
*"Юрий, приезжай за мной в аэропорт"* - the best version, I think
(All versions sound like a surprise call. If Yuri was expecting Tanya's arrival, she would simply say smth like, "Юрий, я в аэропорту, приезжай" or "Заберешь?" etc.)

Why Tanya is Tanya and Yuri is Yuri and not Yura? Tatyana, Yuri = formal. Tanya, Yura = familiar short names.

2. *Константин всегда приезжает за мной на вокзал.* (Not clear if I arrive by train or not. Constantine comes by bike/vehicle/public transit etc.) Informal/formal.

2. *Константин всегда забирает меня на вокзале.* (Not clear if I arrive by train or not. Constantine comes by - not clear how exactly - and picks me up there). Informal, but also Constantine seems to be a more important or more powerful person in the relationship, but not necessarily.

2. *Константин всегда заезжает за мной на вокзал.* (Not clear if I arrive by train or not. Constantine comes by vehicle/public transit etc. Sounds like it's emphasized that Constantine makes a special effort to pick me up. Maybe makes a little detour from the route he otherwise would have gone.)

2. *Константин всегда встречает меня на вокзале.* (I arrive by train and Constantine meets me there. But can be used in other contexts. Not clear how he gets there).

Difficult.............. You really have to understand the context to suggest the best translation. All these nuances of meaning. Though, in essence, these variants mean more or less the same thing.


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## Q-cumber

> 1. Таня только что прилетела и позвонила Юрию.
> *"Юрий, приедь забери меня из аэропорта"* - most literal translation. Sounds unnatural. As if she's in trouble or desperate to get away from the airport.


I second that.
 This wording, although it sounds fine in many contexts, has some limitations and should be used with care. It might imply that a person, who needs/requests pick-up, in not able to leave the place by her/himself. Here below are some examples:
-Ты можешь забрать маму из больницы? Её сегодня выписывают.

-Джон устроил дебош в баре и его забрали в полицию. Надо забрать его оттуда.

Вася всегда после работы забирает ребёнка из детского сада.

-Я напилась в стельку и не могу сесть за руль.  Заберите меня отсюда!

Also this construction might sound commanding and not that appropriate when talking to strangers or higher rank/status people.


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