Russian · At the Bar
Наливай!
nalivay
nah-lee-VYE · /nəlʲɪˈvaj/
Fill 'em up! / Pour the drinks!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Pour!"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The command that opens a Russian drinking session — "pour!" Warm, convivial, the host or the loudest guest saying it's time. Pairs with "davay" and a toast. Nothing rude; just the sound of a table getting started.
Heard in the wild
Ну что, наливай, за встречу!
Well then, pour 'em, to our reunion!
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Наливай!" mean?
- In Russian, "Наливай!" means "Fill 'em up! / Pour the drinks!". Literally it's "Pour!". The command that opens a Russian drinking session — "pour!" Warm, convivial, the host or the loudest guest saying it's time. Pairs with "davay" and a toast. Nothing rude; just the sound of a table getting started.
- Is "Наливай!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Наливай!"?
- Say it "nah-lee-VYE" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: nəlʲɪˈvaj.
Related in Russian
За здоровье! za zdorov'e zah zdah-ROH-vye Cheers! / To your health! На посошок! na pososhok nah pah-sah-SHOK One for the road! Бухать bukhat' boo-KHAHT To drink (heavily) / to get wasted В стельку v stel'ku f STYEL-koo Blind drunk / hammered / plastered Давай-давай! davai-davai dah-VYE dah-VYE Come on! Let's go! Push! Щелчок по горлу shchelchok po gorlu gesture Let's drink / he's drunk / booze
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