Russian Women Glossary

I noticed that men often struggle with interpreting terms in Russian women's personal profiles. There are two major reasons for that:

Women mean something different when they use a term
Women use an incorrect term

Usually women do not know English well enough, and just pick up words out of dictionary; and having many variants often choose a wrong one. Another thing is that some words have a definite meaning in Russian, and women do not bother to check if they have the same meaning in English. Also, some expressions have a different meaning because of differences in cultures and life standards.

Below you will find explanations of the most common mistakes in terms used by Russian women in their profiles.

Term	Reason	Meaning
Active rest	Literal translation from Russian	Outdoor and indoor activities
Careful	Incorrect use	Caring
Close people	Literal translation from Russian	People I care about, people that are special to me
Communicable, communicative	Using a Russian word	Sociable
Communicating with people/ friends	Incorrect use	Socializing
Counterbalanced	Incorrect use	Even tempered
Create coziness and comfort at home	Literal translation from Russian	Home improvement projects, homemaking
Create a family	Literal translation from Russian	Get married Russian word "family" does not mean parents and children; it can be only 2 - husband and wife.
Economist	Different meanings in Russia and on the West	Economist is a name of position in the accounting/finance/sales department. Also may be a qualification one receives after graduating faculty of economics (also commerce, accounting and finance).
Favorite man	Incorrect use	The man I love
Financially secure	Differences in life-style	Has a stable income, enough to feed a family of 3.
High (higher, highest) education	Literal translation from Russian	College or University degree
High social position	Differences in life-style	Has a distinctive social status, i.e. works as a manager, or has his own business. But in Russia it works a bit different than on the West: you don't have to be a CEO or the like, or own a blue chip company to be considered having "high social position". Owning a small shop or guest house with 1 employee is fine. Being a lawyer, business consultant or middle manager will do, too. Being a track driver, farmer, computer programmer, teacher in school won't - even if you make a very good living.
Honor	Incorrect use	Confident, independent
Gay	Incorrect use	In some Russian dictionaries given as one of the versions of translating "cheerful", "fun loving"
Generous	Differences in life-style	This is not only about money but the feelings too; the correct equivalent would be "giving" or "supportive". If about money, it means the man does not use the word "expensive", not greedy. Russians are not used to admit that something is too expensive, or show that they cannot afford certain things. For example, in Russia it's considered to be bad manners to check a bill in restaurant, even if you suspect that you are purposefully over billed. Also may be used as equivalent to a word "noble".
I want to find a man who is fond.	Incorrect use	I want to find a man who is loving.
I want to find a second (other) half.	Literal translation from Russian	I want to find a soul mate.
Intelligent	Different meaning of the term in Russian	In Russian usually using to name a person who is well educated, well mannered, clever, considerate, gentle, decent and faithful. Russians will usually use the word "clever" to call what English speaking people call "intelligent". The word "intelligent" means that the person is a good person, not only clever and educated but it also describes the type of character.
Intercourse	Incorrect use	They give the word "intercourse" as the equivalent of the word "acquaintance" in some Russian dictionaries. It is a mistake that appeared with the change of the meaning of the word in the last decades, but keeps moving to future editions from older dictionaries.
Intercourse agency	Incorrect use	Dating agency
Lovely man	Incorrect use	Beloved man
Lusty	Incorrect use	In Russian dictionaries "lusty" is given as an equivalent for "affectionate" - a person who likes kisses and hugs
Machine	Incorrect use	Car
Manly	Incorrect use	Happy with the traditional role of man as the family's head, defender and provider, as opposite to feminine
Materially provided	Literal translation from Russian	Financially secure
Middle (medium) education	Incorrect use	May mean high school level; also it may be professional education that is considered in Russia on the same level. "Middle education" in Russia is mandatory (and available free of charge).
Native person	Incorrect use	Soul mate
Orderly	Incorrect use	Decent, faithful
Pedagog (pedagogical)	Latin word used in Russian	Teacher (educated as a teacher)
Proud	Incorrect use	Confident, independent
Provided	Incorrect use	Financially secure
Purposeful	Incorrect use	Goal oriented, achiever
Responsive	Incorrect use	Responsible
Real man	Literal translation from Russian	A man who is strong willed, resolute and is capable to be the family's provider and defender; who knows how to treat a woman.
Romantic evenings with candles	Literal translation from Russian	Candle lit dinners
Roses	Custom meaning	Rose is the most adored and expensive flower in Russia. Red roses mean love - well, it's not an official meaning, just a feeling they bring. A bouquet must have 5, 7, 9 etc flowers. Even numbers are used for funerals only. Yellow flowers are not supposed to be given to a beloved person; they mean unfaithfulness.
Sexual	Often: Incorrect using	Sexy (Russian word "sexual" does not have that strong meaning)
Sensual	Often: Incorrect using	Affectionate, passionate
Shaping	Using a Russian word	Female body-building but not to build muscles - to shape the body in a feminine, attractive way. They have special programs for each body part, to bring it to the ideal shape.
Sporty	Using a Russian word	Athletic, physically fit
Strong	Differences in interpretation	Refers to personality not physical qualities: basically, it means strong willed
Strong family	Literal translation from Russian	Common Russian phrase that cannot be correctly translated to English; may be interpreted as "good", "quality" family, where everything is right and which can go through any life trouble.
Tactful	Incorrect use	Considerate
Temperamental	Incorrect use	Passionate
Tender	Incorrect use	Affectionate, gentle
Well-to-do	Differences in life-style	Belongs to a middle class or upper middle class.
Well balanced	Incorrect use	Even tempered, calm
Without bad habits	Literal translation from Russian	Non-smoker/non-drinker or social drinker; no illegal drugs
Without material problems	Literal translation from Russian	Financially secure
Womanly	Incorrect use	Feminine
When we learn to close (closer).	Literal translation from Russian	When we know each other better

Could not find an explanation? Ask me!

USEFUL LINKS:

Comments, suggestions? We want to hear from you!
Click here to Contact us

READ ALSO:

Russian-English phrase book - Your can write her in Russian! Copy and paste romantic phrases and surprise her with your attention.

Common Russian words and phrases - Russian dictionary for beginners.

Russian names - find out about different spellings and variations; and you can even see how her name looks in Russian!

Russian women FAQ - the most frequently asked questions about all aspects of relationships with ladies from Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union.

Why Russian Women? - If you decided to find yourself a Russian wife, you would be inundated with questions of the type "Why Russian Women?" from everybody you cared to share your idea with. Surprisingly, every Russian woman you are writing to will ask the same question: "Why do you want to find a wife in Russia?" After a while, you might start questioning your own sanity in doing the thing which everybody, including your dates in this Internet rendezvous, consider strange enough to request explanations. Here you will find some ready-to-use answers for your family, friends and Russian women you are writing to.

The latest E-book of Elena Petrova:
"Stop Wasting Money on Dating Russian, Ukrainian Women"

Are you dating Russian, Ukrainian women from the countries of the former USSR? Then you can't afford to miss this. This information can save you thousands of dollars and months of wasted time and effort. Elena Petrova, the former "mail order bride" from Russia, uncovers dirty tricks and traps of online relationships with Russian, Ukrainian girls, and how you can easily be scammed by unscrupulous players. Learn simple and quick ways how to shield yourself from scams and fraud in dating Eastern European women.

Want to learn more? Click here

MUST READ!
New e-book by Marina Smiley (the author of famous "The shocking truth about Russian brides").

Discover why so many guys continue to go to Russia, again and again they spend their money and time and are still unable to find their woman.
Learn how you can dramatically improve your success with Russian women and win when other fail.
Most intimate questions answered by a Russian woman - Medical Doctor.

Read about how to subscribe
Check out our NEW, REAL ladies! (Click on the photo)

More photos