Close Calls with "чуть не"
When you want to talk about a near miss or something that almost happened, Russian uses the phrase чуть не (almost / narrowly).
To express that an action was on the verge of happening but was ultimately averted, pair чуть не with a verb in the perfective past. Since perfective verbs describe completed results, this emphasizes exactly the outcome you narrowly avoided.
| My commuter train almost left without me. | Моя электричка чуть не уехала без меня. |
| I almost lost my transit pass in the subway. | Я чуть не потерял свой проездной в метро. |
| The door of the commuter train almost caught my hand. | Дверь электрички чуть не прищемила мне руку. |
Using "едва не"
Another common way to express "nearly" is with the phrase едва не. It works exactly the same as чуть не and is also followed by the perfective past.
| He nearly stepped into a deep puddle. | Он едва не наступил в глубокую лужу. |
| A truck nearly splashed me with mud. | Грузовик едва не облил меня грязью. |
Commuting Mishaps
When recounting a sequence of past-tense events, simply place чуть не or едва не right before the verb of the averted action.
| The car almost hit a pedestrian at the intersection. | Машина чуть не сбила пешехода на перекрёстке. |
| The driver sharply hit the brake, and I almost spilled coffee on a passenger. | Водитель резко нажал на тормоз, и я едва не облил пассажира кофе. |
| The driver released the brake, abruptly closed the door, and almost caught my bag. | Водитель отпустил тормоз, резко закрыл дверь и чуть не прищемил мне сумку. |
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