говно is a vulgar Russian noun meaning shit. It literally refers to feces, but it is also commonly used figuratively for something very poor, worthless, unpleasant, or badly made.
- Register: vulgar and offensive; avoid it in polite, professional, or formal settings.
- Common English equivalents, depending on context: shit, crap, garbage, junk, bullshit.
- A milder Russian alternative is ерунда (“nonsense”) or плохой (“bad”), depending on what you mean.
- Etymology: it comes from an old Slavic root associated with excrement and dirt; related forms occur across several Slavic languages.
Examples:
- Это полное говно.
This is complete shit.
- Фильм оказался говном.
The film turned out to be shit.
- Не покупай это говно.
Don’t buy this shit.
- Я наступил в говно.
I stepped in shit.
- Он говорит какое-то говно.
He is saying some shit.
