Bedeutung
Cheap goods cost more in the long run.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Russia, there is a deep skepticism toward 'too good to be true' prices. This stems from the 1990s when the market was flooded with low-quality counterfeits. During the Soviet era, quality goods were often 'defitsit' (scarce). People learned that buying the available cheap version was a waste of time, leading to a culture of 'buy it right the first time.' Younger Russians use this phrase frequently when discussing tech gadgets, often citing it to justify buying Apple products over cheaper alternatives. In Russian business, quoting this proverb is a common way to reject a low-ball bid from a supplier without being overtly rude.
Use it for justification
If you buy something expensive and someone judges you, use this phrase to defend your choice.
Don't overstress the 't'
In 'платит', the final 'т' is soft but not overly hissed. It's a common beginner mistake to make it sound like 'платиц'.
Bedeutung
Cheap goods cost more in the long run.
Use it for justification
If you buy something expensive and someone judges you, use this phrase to defend your choice.
Don't overstress the 't'
In 'платит', the final 'т' is soft but not overly hissed. It's a common beginner mistake to make it sound like 'платиц'.
The 'Rothschild' variant
If you want to sound very educated, use 'Мы не настолько богаты, чтобы покупать дешёвые вещи' instead.
Teste dich selbst
Complete the proverb.
Скупой платит _______.
The standard form of the proverb uses 'дважды' (twice).
Which situation best fits the proverb 'Скупой платит дважды'?
Ситуация: ...
The proverb describes paying twice due to poor quality.
What does 'скупой' mean in this context?
Скупой — это...
'Скупой' means stingy or miserly.
Complete the dialogue.
— Этот сервис стоит очень дёшево. Давай закажем там? — Нет, я читал отзывы, там всё плохо. ...
The proverb is a natural response to a suggestion of buying something suspiciously cheap.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenСкупой платит _______.
The standard form of the proverb uses 'дважды' (twice).
Ситуация: ...
The proverb describes paying twice due to poor quality.
Скупой — это...
'Скупой' means stingy or miserly.
— Этот сервис стоит очень дёшево. Давай закажем там? — Нет, я читал отзывы, там всё плохо. ...
The proverb is a natural response to a suggestion of buying something suspiciously cheap.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
8 FragenIt's not a swear word, but it is a negative description. Calling someone 'скупой' to their face is an insult, but using it in the proverb is just giving advice.
Absolutely. It's very common to use it when talking about cheap haircuts, cheap repairs, or cheap medical services.
'Скупой' is specifically about not wanting to spend money (stingy). 'Жадный' is more general greed (wanting more of everything).
The proverb is 'дважды'. 'Вдвойне' means 'doubly' and is used in different contexts, like 'я рад вдвойне' (I am doubly glad).
Yes, it's a very 'living' proverb. You'll see it in YouTube comments, on Twitter, and hear it in cafes.
Yes, people often say this as a joke or to emphasize that a situation is even worse than usual.
Not really a proverb, but the phrase 'Качество превыше всего' (Quality above all) is the positive counterpart.
It's like the 'i' in 'hit' but deeper in the throat. Imagine someone poked you in the stomach.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Дорого да мило, дёшево да гнило
similarExpensive is lovely, cheap is rotten.
Бесплатный сыр бывает только в мышеловке
similarFree cheese is only in a mousetrap.
Мы не настолько богаты, чтобы покупать дешёвые вещи
synonymWe aren't rich enough to buy cheap things.
Жадность фраера сгубила
relatedGreed ruined the guy.
