Interjection
ну • (nu)
- well, so (used in encouragements or discouragements, or as a filled pause)
- ну і ідзі сабе́ дале́й ― nu i idzi sabjé daljéj ― well, move on
- with і (i) or ж (ž): what ...!, what a...!, that's quite a...! (expresses disbelief)
- ну і дзянёк! ― nu i dzjanjók! ― quite a day!
Particle
ну • (nu)
- so, therefore (used in the beginning of summarising sentences)
- ну во́сь і усё ― nu vósʹ i usjó ― that's all there is to it
- well?, so? (general-purpose question, an encouragement for the interlocutor to continue speaking)
- (colloquial) yeah, yep
- Synonyms: але́ (aljé), так (tak)
References
- “ну” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org
- Martynaŭ, V. U., editor (1993), “ну”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Etymological Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), volumes 8 (не́марач – пая́ць), Minsk: Navuka i technika, →ISBN, page 46
Interjection
ну • (nu)
- well
- Ну! ― Nu! ― Well! (indicating surprise and a little disbelief)
- Ну что ж? ― Nu što ž? ― So what now?
- Ну так что́ же? ― Nu tak štó že? ― So what is it?
- Да ну́! ― Da nú! ― No/I don't need it/I don't want to!
- Да ну?! ― Da nu?! ― Really?!
1880, Михаил Салтыков-Щедрин, “Племяннушка”, in Господа Головлёвы; English translation from I. P. Foote, transl., The Golovlevs, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986:— Мне немного надо! — говорил он, — курочка есть? — ну, супцу из курочки сварите! Может быть, солонинка есть — солонинки кусочек приготовьте! Жарковца какого-нибудь… вот я и сыт!- — Mne nemnogo nado! — govoril on, — kuročka jestʹ? — nu, supcu iz kuročki svarite! Možet bytʹ, soloninka jestʹ — soloninki kusoček prigotovʹte! Žarkovca kakovo-nibudʹ… vot ja i syt!
- ‘It’s little enough I need!’ he said. ‘Is there chicken? – well, make a little chicken broth! Perhaps there’s salt beef? – then do a bit of salt beef! And a roast of some sort – for me that will suffice!’
Descendants
- → Yiddish: נו (nu)
- → Hebrew: נוּ
Adverb
ну • (nu)
- (colloquial) yeah, yep (impolite, sometimes implying a question - so what?)
- Ты э́то чита́л? — Ну, и? ― Ty éto čitál? — Nu, i? ― Have you read this? - Yeah, so what?
Noun
нӯ (transliteration needed)
- son
References
- G. A. Menovschikov (1964) Язык сиреникских эскимосов [The language of Sirenik Eskimos], Академия Наук СССР, page 192