Breakdown of Вот это да!
вот это да
well, I'll be!
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Questions & Answers about Вот это да!
What does Вот это да! mean word for word?
Literally, the parts are roughly:
- вот = here / there / look / now
- это = this
- да = not really yes here, but an exclamatory particle
So a very literal-feeling gloss would be something like:
- Now that is something!
- Well, this really is...!
But as a whole, Вот это да! is an idiomatic exclamation, so it is usually best understood as something like Wow!, No way!, Well, I’ll be!, or That’s something!, depending on context and tone.
Why are both вот and это used? Wouldn’t one of them be enough?