Russian · Frustration
Сколько можно?!
skol'ko mozhno
SKOL-kah MOZH-nah · /ˈskolʲkə ˈmoʐnə/
Enough already! / How long must this go on?
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"How much is possible?"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The great Russian sigh of civic exhaustion — hurled at potholes, delays, price hikes, a kid asking the same thing for the tenth time. Rhetorical, no answer expected. Utterly clean and constantly heard. Pairs with a heavenward glance.
Heard in the wild
Опять отключили горячую воду. Сколько можно?!
They cut the hot water again. Enough already!
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Сколько можно?!" mean?
- In Russian, "Сколько можно?!" means "Enough already! / How long must this go on?". Literally it's "How much is possible?". The great Russian sigh of civic exhaustion — hurled at potholes, delays, price hikes, a kid asking the same thing for the tenth time. Rhetorical, no answer expected. Utterly clean and constantly heard. Pairs with a heavenward glance.
- Is "Сколько можно?!" 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 "Сколько можно?!"?
- Say it "SKOL-kah MOZH-nah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈskolʲkə ˈmoʐnə.
Related in Russian
Чёрт возьми! chyort voz'mi CHORT vahz-MEE Damn it! / For God's sake! Облом! oblom ah-BLOM Bummer / What a letdown / No dice До хрена do khrena dah khree-NAH A shitload / a hell of a lot / way too much Твою мать! tvoyu mat' tvah-YOO MAHT Damn it! / Son of a bitch! / For crying out loud! Ёпрст! yoprst YOP-rst Argh! / Gah! / Dammit Ты меня достал! ty menya dostal tih mee-NYAH dah-STAHL You've had it / I'm sick of you
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Calm down".
- French J'en ai marre ! I'm fed up / I've had it
- German Mir reicht's! I've had it! / That's the last straw!
- Greek σιγά Big deal / whatever / calm down / as if — dismissive minimizing.
- Japanese いい加減にしろ Knock it off / that's enough / cut it out
- Polish spoko Chill / no worries / it's fine — the great Polish de-escalator.
- Spanish No hay bronca No problem / no worries
- Turkish Aman! Oh come on / whatever / good grief
- French J'en ai ras-le-cul ! I'm f***ing sick of this
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