Breakdown of Перед экзаменом мама сказала: «Ни пуха ни пера!»
мама
mom
сказать
to tell, to say
экзамен
exam
перед
in front of / of (with fear) / before (in time)
ни пуха ни пера
break a leg!, good luck! (idiom)
Questions & Answers about Перед экзаменом мама сказала: «Ни пуха ни пера!»
What does the phrase Ни пуха ни пера literally mean?
It literally translates to "Neither down nor feather!" Historically, it was used to wish hunters good luck. People believed that directly wishing for a successful hunt ("down" or fur from beasts, "feathers" from birds) would jinx it because evil forest spirits were listening. So, they wished for the exact opposite to trick the spirits. Today, it is the standard Russian equivalent of "Break a leg!"
If someone says Ни пуха ни пера! to me, how should I reply?
You must reply К чёрту! (literally, "To the devil!"). Because the original phrase is meant to trick evil spirits, saying Спасибо (Thank you) ruins the trick and is actually considered bad luck. You have to play along by sending the well-wisher "to the devil" to ensure the good luck works.
Why are the words пух (down) and перо (feather) in the genitive case (пуха, пера) here?
The phrase uses the repeated negative particle ни... ни... (neither... nor...). In Russian, expressing the complete absence of something requires the genitive case. Since the phrase literally wishes you an absence of down and feathers, both nouns take their genitive forms.
Could I use До экзамена instead of Перед экзаменом to mean "Before the exam"?
Yes, but there is a slight difference in nuance. До (which takes the genitive case) generally means "prior to" and can refer to any time before the event. Перед (which takes the instrumental case, as seen here in экзаменом) usually implies right before or immediately preceding the event. In this sentence, the mom is likely saying it on the morning of the exam or right as the student is walking out the door.
Learn Перед экзаменом мама сказала: «Ни пуха ни пера!» and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free