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Language through Literature

The Malefactor


Слава те господи, господин хороший, век свой прожили и не токмо что убивать, но и мыслей таких в голове не было…

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Glory be to God, good sir, we have lived out our lives and not only never killed anyone, we never so much as had such thoughts in our heads…

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Where it stands

Зачем убивать? Why should we kill anybody?

Нешто мы некрещёные или злодеи какие? Are we unbaptized, or villains of some sort?

Спаси и помилуй, царица небесная… Save us and have mercy, Queen of Heaven…

Что вы-с! Whatever are you saying, sir!

The words in this sentence

сла́ва
glory, fame (nom sg)
те
you, to thee (pron., colloq. for тебе) — тот
го́споди
Lord! good heavens! (excl.) — господь
господи́н
mister, gentleman
хоро́ший
good (m nom)
век
life, lifetime (n., m.)
свой
one's own (m nom/acc)
про́жили
lived through, spent (past pl of прожить) — прожить
и
and; also, even
не
not
то́кмо
only, merely (arch.)
что
that (conj., in не токмо что)
убива́ть
to kill (inf)
но
but
и
even (particle)
мы́слей
thoughts (gen pl of мысль) — мысль
таки́х
such (gen/prep pl) — такой
в
in, into
голове́
head (dat/prep sg) — голова
бы́ло
was (past n of быть) — быть

А. П. Чехов, «Злоумышленник», 1885 · sentence 30 of 73

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