Ну и дела!

what a situation!

Questions & Answers about Ну и дела!

What does ну и дела! mean literally?

Literally, it is something like well, and things! or well, what things!, but that literal wording is not how English would normally say it.

As a whole, ну и дела! is an idiomatic exclamation. Russian speakers use it to react to a surprising, shocking, awkward, or ridiculous situation.

So the important thing is: learn it as a fixed reaction, not as a sentence you should translate word-for-word.

What does ну mean here?

Ну is a very common Russian particle. It often adds emotion, transition, impatience, resignation, or emphasis.

In ну и дела!, ну helps create the feeling of an emotional reaction, something like:

• well...
• wow...
• come on...
• good grief...

It does not have one exact English equivalent here. Its job is mostly expressive.

Does и really mean and here?