Significado
Barely managing to finish something.
Contexto cultural
Reflects the 'Avoś' (авось) mentality—the hope that things will work out despite lack of planning, often resulting in 'с грехом пополам' outcomes. Often used to describe the quality of consumer goods or repairs during times of deficit, where people had to 'make do' with what they had. In Russian universities, passing 'с грехом пополам' on a 'тройка' (C grade) is a common trope of student life. Used by IT professionals in Russia to describe 'legacy code' or 'hotfixes' that barely keep a system running.
Use for Humility
If someone says your Russian is great, say 'С грехом пополам говорю'. It makes you sound more native and humble.
Don't use with 'Success'
You can't say 'I won the race с грехом пополам' if you won by a lot. It only works if you barely finished.
Significado
Barely managing to finish something.
Use for Humility
If someone says your Russian is great, say 'С грехом пополам говорю'. It makes you sound more native and humble.
Don't use with 'Success'
You can't say 'I won the race с грехом пополам' if you won by a lot. It only works if you barely finished.
Verb Placement
Always put the verb first for a more natural flow: 'Понял с грехом пополам' sounds better than 'С грехом пополам понял'.
Ponte a prueba
Complete the sentence with the correct idiom.
Я не спал всю ночь, поэтому дописал статью с ______ ______.
The idiom is 'с грехом пополам'.
Which situation best fits the phrase 'с грехом пополам'?
Choose the correct context:
The phrase implies a difficult task with a less-than-perfect result.
Complete the dialogue.
— Ты понял, что сказал профессор? — С ______ ______, у него очень сложный акцент.
The fixed form is 'с грехом пополам'.
Match the Russian phrase to its English equivalent.
Match the following:
Muddle through captures the messy effort of the Russian idiom.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Ayudas visuales
Idiom vs. Literal
Banco de ejercicios
4 ejerciciosЯ не спал всю ночь, поэтому дописал статью с ______ ______.
The idiom is 'с грехом пополам'.
Choose the correct context:
The phrase implies a difficult task with a less-than-perfect result.
— Ты понял, что сказал профессор? — С ______ ______, у него очень сложный акцент.
The fixed form is 'с грехом пополам'.
Empareja cada elemento de la izquierda con su par de la derecha:
Muddle through captures the messy effort of the Russian idiom.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Preguntas frecuentes
10 preguntasNot at all. The religious meaning is completely gone. It's safe for all audiences.
Better not. It implies you did a poor job or struggled too much. Use 'с некоторыми трудностями' instead.
No, it means you succeeded, but only just barely.
No, the phrase is fixed. You must use 'пополам'.
Similar, but 'с грехом пополам' sounds more like you tried hard, while 'кое-как' can mean you were lazy.
No, it modifies actions (verbs), not people (nouns).
Very common. You will hear it in movies and daily life constantly.
Only ironically. 'I fell in love с грехом пополам' doesn't make sense.
'Без сучка, без задоринки' (without a hitch).
No, it's a standard idiom. It's informal but not slang.
Frases relacionadas
кое-как
synonymAnyhow / carelessly
еле-еле
similarBarely / with difficulty
через пень-колоду
similarClumsily
на соплях
specialized formHeld together by snot (slang)
в мгновение ока
contrastIn the blink of an eye
