Чайник (часть первая)
The Russians word for a teakettle is чайник; it comes from the word чай (tea). The teakettle is used to heat up water for the tea, while the заварной чайник (teapot) refers to the vessel in which the actual tea is served. Today, many households also have the электрический чайник (electric teakettle). Russians commonly say чайник when talking about either one of the three, but fortunately that rarely causes confusion.
| Sg | Pl | |
| Nom | чайник | чайники |
| Acc | ||
| Gen | чайника | чайников |
| Pre | чайнике | чайниках |
| Dat | чайнику | чайникам |
| Ins | чайником | чайниками |
image from goldmoscow.comHere are a few example sentences:
| Слышишь? Чайник уже закипает, иди скорей на кухню и убери его с плиты. | You hear that? The teakettle is beginning to boil, hurry to the kitchen and remove it from the stove. |
| Мне подарили очень дорогой фарфоровый чайник, который я теперь использую только для лучших сортов японского и цейлонского чая. | As a present, I received a very expensive porcelain teapot which I now only use for the best Japanese and Ceylon teas. |
| Георгий случайно уронил поднос с завтраком, и полный, горячий чайник разбился вдребезги. | George accidentally dropped the breakfast tray and a full, hot teapot broke into tiny pieces. |
| Нам надо купить новый чайник, потому что этот уже заржавел. | We need to buy a new teakettle because this one has gotten too rusty. |
The word чайник can also be used as an insult when directed at someone who the offender considers to be a bit irrational and obtuse:
| Какой же ты чайник, ни одну математиматическую задачу на экзамене не решил. | What an airhead you are. You didn’t even solve one math problem on the exam. |
2 comments
How odd! Considering how fundamental and symbolic a tea kettle can be to Russians, it’s ironic that the same word can be a derpgatory comment.
Тне word чайник when directed to the person means incompetent, non-professional, newbie in something. It is very light abuse. The book series “… for dummies” is translated to Russian as “… для чайников.”
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