If there's no equivalent to the term crush, how do you explain that sort thing in Russian? Reminds me of how much I hate the term "puppy love."
I feel so bad I only have one language in my arsenal. I think it would be helpful and meaningful for me to understand many situations if I was at least bilingual. I took a couple years of French, but it's been forever since I have had anyone around I could practice with. My friend Chris is French, but I'd rather stab myself in the eye than try and speak it with him!
You just don't use that word. Rather than saying "I have a crush on her" you say "I like her." Or you can say stuff like "he was my grade school love" and people understand it wasn't that serious. Little boys and girls definitely say "I love you" to each other when they are flirting, and friends mock them for "being in love" but again, people understand that's not the same. When you get older you start using the word more carefully, and saying things like "he's a hot piece of ass" or whatever if you want to convey attraction rather than love. Or you can still say you're "in love" with someone but in a tone of voice that conveys levity.
You can also modify the word love: "пылкая любовь" means "hot love" and can indicate both passion and brevity. If you want a noun, you can use "увлечение," which is closer to "infatuation" and in verb form literally means "to be carried away." (This is often used to refer to hobbies and interests you are passionate about as well.)
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I feel so bad I only have one language in my arsenal. I think it would be helpful and meaningful for me to understand many situations if I was at least bilingual. I took a couple years of French, but it's been forever since I have had anyone around I could practice with. My friend Chris is French, but I'd rather stab myself in the eye than try and speak it with him!
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