скучать vs надоедать
skuchát' vs nadoedát' — miss/be bored vs annoy/become tiresome
Register: neutral
What it really means
Скучать means either to miss someone or to be bored, depending on the complement. Надоедать means to annoy someone or become tiresome through repetition; the irritating person, action, or thing is its subject.
Examples in natural speech
Я скучаю по семье.
I miss my family.
Мне надоедает ждать.
Waiting gets tiresome for me.
Дети скучают дома.
The children are bored at home.
Не надоедай ему звонками.
Do not annoy him with calls.
Я скучаю без работы.
I get bored without work.
Common mistakes
Do not translate скучать as “annoy” or надоедать as “miss.” Скучать по другу means to miss a friend, while друг надоедает звонками means the friend annoys someone with calls. For boredom, скучать usually has no object or uses без + genitive.
Memory tip
Скучать leaves an empty space—someone absent or nothing to do; надоедать is the same knock on the door repeated until it irritates.
Frequently asked questions
Why does скучать use «по семье»?
When it means “miss,” скучать takes по + dative: скучать по маме, по друзьям, по семье. It expresses longing for an absent person or place.
How can I tell “miss” from “be bored” with скучать?
The complement usually decides: скучать по кому-то means miss someone, while скучать дома or скучать без дела means be bored.
Which case follows надоедать?
The person irritated is in the dative: звонки надоедают мне; Не надоедай ему. The repeated cause can be instrumental: надоедать кому-то звонками.
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