| Subject | English | Russian |
| gen. | one can take the horse to the water, but he can't make it drink | нельзя заставить кого-л. делать что-л. против его воли |
| inf. | take a drink in order to cure a hangover | опохмеляться |
| Makarov. | take a drink to cure a hangover | опохмелиться |
| Makarov. | take to drink | запьянствовать |
| Makarov. | take to drink | запить (прстраститься к пьянтву) |
| gen. | take to drink | запивать |
| gen. | take to drink | запить |
| Gruzovik | take to drink | спиться (pf of спиваться) |
| gen. | take to drink | спиться |
| gen. | take to drink | пристраститься к вину (to theft, to a life of crime, to bad habits, etc., и т.д.) |
| gen. | take to drink | пристраститься к спиртному |
| Gruzovik, inf. | take to drink | забражничать |
| Makarov. | take to drink | попивать (пьянствовать понемногу) |
| gen. | take to drink | спиваться (Maria Klavdieva) |
| Gruzovik, inf. | take to drink | загулять (pf of загуливать) |
| Gruzovik, inf. | take to drink | запьянствовать |
| Gruzovik, inf. | take to drink | загуливать (impf of загулять) |
| gen. | take to drink | стать пьяницей |
| proverb | you can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | можно отвести лошадь на водопой, но невозможно заставить её пить |
| proverb | you can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | не всего можно добиться силой |
| proverb | you can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | можно пригнать коня на водопой, но пить его не заставишь |
| proverb | you can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | сердцу не прикажешь (The word the is frequently omitted from the proverb and lead substituted for take. 1970 J. MITFORD in Atlantic (1979) July 50 The dropout rate [for the course] must be close to 90 percent. I guess you can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink. OED Alexander Demidov) |
| proverb | you can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | насильно мил не будешь |
| proverb | you can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | силою не все возьмёшь (дословно: Можно отвести лошадь на водопой, но невозможно заставить её пить) |
| gen. | you can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | насильно мил не будешь (чаще: you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink) |
| idiom. | you can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink | насилу мил не будешь (anadyakov) |
| gen. | you can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink | сердцу не прикажешь (you can lead/take a horse to water but you can't make him drink: you can give someone the opportunity to do something but you can't get him or her to do it if they don't want to. The woman took her children to the park but they were not interested in playing in the playground. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. ICC Alexander Demidov) |
| proverb | you can take the horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | вы можете подвести лошадь к воде, но не сможете заставить её пить |
| proverb | you can take the horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | силою не всё возьмёшь |
| gen. | you can take the horse to the water, but you can't make it drink | нельзя заставить кого-л. делать что-л. против его воли |
