Signification
A very small amount.
Contexte culturel
Cats are the most popular pets in Russia. Almost every household has one, which is why so many Russian idioms involve cats (e.g., 'не всё коту масленица'). In old Slavic beliefs, cats were seen as protectors of the home but also as creatures that lived between worlds. Their 'tears' were thought to be rare and magical, or non-existent. This idiom is frequently used in memes about 'Salary Day' (День зарплаты), where a tiny kitten is shown looking at a single coin. During times of deficit in the USSR, this phrase was used daily to describe the empty shelves in stores.
Use for Irony
This phrase works best when you are being slightly sarcastic about a bad situation.
Don't change the cat!
Russians never say 'как собака наплакала' or 'как мышка наплакала'. It's always a cat.
Signification
A very small amount.
Use for Irony
This phrase works best when you are being slightly sarcastic about a bad situation.
Don't change the cat!
Russians never say 'как собака наплакала' or 'как мышка наплакала'. It's always a cat.
Money Talk
It's very common to use this when discussing taxes, pensions, or bonuses.
Teste-toi
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the idiom.
Денег после праздников осталось как ___ ___.
The idiom is a fixed form: 'как кот наплакал'.
In which situation is it appropriate to use 'как кот наплакал'?
Выберите ситуацию:
The idiom is used for small, disappointing quantities, especially money.
Match the idiom with its meaning.
Сопоставьте:
Both 'как кот наплакал' and 'с гулькин нос' mean 'very little'.
Complete the dialogue.
— Ты пойдёшь с нами в кино? — Не могу, у меня времени ...
This is a common way to say you have no time.
Match the phrase to the object it describes.
К чему это относится?
It is used for quantities like salary, not physical traits like height or weight.
🎉 Score : /5
Aides visuelles
Quantity Spectrum in Russian
Banque d exercices
5 exercicesДенег после праздников осталось как ___ ___.
The idiom is a fixed form: 'как кот наплакал'.
Выберите ситуацию:
The idiom is used for small, disappointing quantities, especially money.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
Both 'как кот наплакал' and 'с гулькин нос' mean 'very little'.
— Ты пойдёшь с нами в кино? — Не могу, у меня времени ...
This is a common way to say you have no time.
К чему это относится?
It is used for quantities like salary, not physical traits like height or weight.
🎉 Score : /5
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNo, it's not rude, but it is very informal. You can use it with friends and colleagues, but maybe not with your CEO.
Yes, to say there are very few people: 'Народу пришло как кот наплакал.'
Because cats don't shed visible tears, so 'cat's tears' equals 'nothing.'
The opposite is 'куры не клюют' (chickens don't peck it) or 'пруд пруди' (a whole pond full).
No, the idiom is fixed in the past tense: 'наплакал.'
Yes, many classic Russian authors like Chekhov and Gogol used it to describe poor characters.
Technically yes, but 99% of the time people use the masculine 'кот'.
Not exactly. It implies 'too little' or 'not enough.'
Extremely common. You will hear it in movies, songs, and daily talk.
Yes, if the water pressure is very low.
Expressions liées
с гулькин нос
synonymVery small amount (pigeon's beak size)
раз-два и обчёлся
similarVery few (countable)
куры не клюют
contrastA huge amount (especially money)
всего ничего
similarHardly anything
