Авось (avos; the pronunciation can be quite tricky here, so it’s better to ask one of your Russian peers) is not just a word, but also an approach, or even a concept. While some Russians take pride in it and others are very critical, all agree that it’s very old, very Russian, and almost untranslatable. A very crude attempt at translating it will be something like “hopefully this is going to work out because, you know, it can if I’m lucky enough”. For example, this can be my reasoning for trying to explain to you this seemingly untranslatable term: “авось поймете” - “you might as well understand it”.
As a concept, авось is chiefly associated with hope, with a slight touch of indifference. Basically, you won’t bet on it if it’s something that’s really important for you. Then again, many believe that the habit of relying on авось has long become a part of Russian mentality, and made us a bit too indifferent when it comes to a great many things. On the upside, such a trait really helps when it comes to enduring hardships or trying any unconventional solutions. The downside is that it occasionally makes us a bit too careless.
Let’s take my recent troubles, for example. I knew that the weather has been totally unpredictable lately. I knew that I couldn’t trust the forecast, and I’d be in trouble if it fails me. Still, a little voice, somewhere in the back of my head, whispered: “авось пронесет!” (it could still work out fine), – and I didn’t even bother to come up with a backup plan. As you can see, авось didn’t really work out this time – or, since I wrote this, maybe it did?
