मतलब
To forget a bad experience.
सांस्कृतिक पृष्ठभूमि
The phrase is often used when discussing the '90s (лихие девяностые), a period of economic chaos that many Russians prefer to view as a collective nightmare. In many post-Soviet countries, this phrase is used to describe the transition from old, crumbling infrastructure to modern services. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy often used dream sequences to show the inner turmoil of characters. This idiom is a linguistic remnant of that cultural obsession with the 'truth' found in dreams. On Russian social media (VK, Telegram), this phrase is a popular hashtag or caption for 'glow-up' photos or 'before and after' posts regarding home renovations.
Use it for relief
The best time to use this is right after a stressful event ends. It shows you are ready to be happy again.
Don't use for death
Never use this to talk about the death of a loved one; it sounds very cold and disrespectful.
मतलब
To forget a bad experience.
Use it for relief
The best time to use this is right after a stressful event ends. It shows you are ready to be happy again.
Don't use for death
Never use this to talk about the death of a loved one; it sounds very cold and disrespectful.
Add 'хочется'
Using 'хочется забыть' (one wants to forget) makes you sound very native and less aggressive.
The 90s context
If you hear an older Russian use this, they are often referring to the 1990s economic crisis.
खुद को परखो
Fill in the missing words to complete the idiom.
Этот ужасный день я хочу забыть как _______ _______.
The standard idiom uses 'страшный' (scary) and 'сон' (dream).
Match the situation with the most appropriate use of the phrase.
Which situation best fits 'забыть как страшный сон'?
The phrase is used for relief after a negative/painful experience.
Choose the grammatically correct sentence.
Which of these is correct?
The perfective verb 'забыл' is required for this idiom.
Complete the dialogue.
— Как прошла твоя командировка? — Ужасно! Отель был грязный, встречи отменили... — Ого. Ну, теперь ты дома, так что...
The friend is offering consolation by suggesting to forget the bad trip.
🎉 स्कोर: /4
विज़ुअल लर्निंग टूल्स
Forgetting in Russian
अभ्यास बैंक
4 अभ्यासЭтот ужасный день я хочу забыть как _______ _______.
The standard idiom uses 'страшный' (scary) and 'сон' (dream).
Which situation best fits 'забыть как страшный сон'?
The phrase is used for relief after a negative/painful experience.
Which of these is correct?
The perfective verb 'забыл' is required for this idiom.
— Как прошла твоя командировка? — Ужасно! Отель был грязный, встречи отменили... — Ого. Ну, теперь ты дома, так что...
The friend is offering consolation by suggesting to forget the bad trip.
🎉 स्कोर: /4
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल
12 सवालYes, you can say 'Я забыл своего бывшего как страшный сон' (I forgot my ex like a scary dream). It implies the relationship was very toxic.
It's a bit informal. Use it with colleagues you know well, but avoid it in a formal presentation to clients unless you are being intentionally dramatic about a past failure.
'Кошмар' is the noun for 'nightmare.' You can say 'Это был кошмар,' but the idiom specifically requires 'страшный сон.'
Because the idiom is about the *result* of forgetting completely, which requires the perfective aspect.
No, that's not a standard idiom. Stick to 'сон'.
Not at all! It is used daily by all age groups in Russia.
That's the opposite! You would say 'Я никогда этого не забуду.'
Yes, it's a great way to describe a terrible film experience.
Yes, 'страшный' is the fixed part of the idiom. You can't really swap it for 'ужасный' or 'плохой' without losing the idiomatic feel.
No, there isn't a common idiom like 'remember like a beautiful dream.' We usually just say 'это было как в сказке' (it was like in a fairy tale).
It would sound very sarcastic. Only use it for things that actually caused stress.
In this idiom, 'страшный сон' stays in the nominative case.
संबंधित मुहावरे
вылететь из головы
similarTo slip one's mind
с глаз долой, из сердца вон
similarOut of sight, out of mind
оставить в прошлом
synonymTo leave in the past
как в тумане
similarLike in a fog
перевернуть страницу
synonymTo turn the page
