Комар
Комар is translated as mosquito; комары is the plural form of the word. Here are some example sentences:
| В лесу меня укусил комар. | A mosquito bit me in the forest. |
| Комариные укусы сильно чешутся. | Мosquito bites itch badly. |
| Не знаю, где мне укрыться от этих надоедливых комаров. | Don’t know where I can hide from these annoying mosquitoes. |
| Здесь очень много больших комаров. | There are a lot of big mosquitoes here. |
The Moscow countryside is a fine place for freeing oneself from the constant stress and never-ending chaos of daily city life. It’s a place where people seek refuge on weekends and holidays to clear the mind and find some peace. Many Russians living in cities have country homes called dachas. But trying to reach a Zen-like state of relaxation can sometimes be quite difficult. I’m talking about the one loathsome neighbor that doesn’t mind his own business and wants to make your life just as miserable as his, the pointless calls from the residential council chairman asking for more money, occasional airplanes that happen to choose the one particular route that passes right above your dacha; but all that is nothing compared to the evil that a “комар” brings.
If your home is near the woods or a swampy lake of some sort, consider your evenings and nights ruined by these tiny vampires. Of course there are ways to keep the bloodsuckers away, but they are not too pleasant either. For instance you can stay in the house behind a closed window and enjoy the lovely evenings that way, but then what’s the point of even going out to the country? Then there is the mosquito repellent, but that chemical fusion can at times be so toxic that even humans will keep away. You could end up with an allergic reaction that is far worse than an itching “комар” bite.
Unfortunately, the only true, efficient way to stay unbothered is to have a certain natural quality that will keep them away. Don’t know what this quality is or how to acquire it. When my brother and I are out at night he rarely gets bitten, while I am basically eaten alive by the parasites—unless I'm wearing long sleeves. There also have been stories of people desperate enough to dig out deep ponds in their backyards and throw in fair-sized fish that can supposedly feed on the bloodsuckers.
Come to think of it, there actually is one plus for the weather being cold three quarters of the year.
3 comments
I checked with several other native speakers: all agree that you can say it both ways. The где version is more common, but куда is fine.
You could really go both ways on this one. I prefer “где” in this particular sentence because it simply stands for “where,” while the word “куда” would mean “to where.” Native speakers use the two interchangeably in similar sentences so either word is fine.
But “куда” and “где” can sometimes get a bit tricky, depending on the structure of the sentence.
And I agree that St. Petersburg mosquitoes are even more vicious.
shouldn’t it be куда мне укрыться? i’m no native speaker, but где укрыться sounds weird. Мне некуда деться… мне некуда укрыться etc… google doesn’t provide much help–i found plenty of examples of both. but i feel a difference between the rhetorical куда укрыться and укрыться в лесу.
i live in florida, and i find the mosquitoes far worse in russia, esp st pete in late summer. WOW! they really bite hard in russia.
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