Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'building'

English Word: building

Key Russian Translations:

• здание [ˈzdanʲɪjə] - [Neutral, Commonly used for physical structures]
• строение [strɐˈjenʲɪjə] - [Formal, Often used in technical or legal contexts]
• постройка [pɐˈstrojkə] - [Informal, Refers to the act or result of construction]

Frequency: High (especially "здание")

Difficulty: A2 (Beginner-Intermediate for "здание"; B1 for "строение" and "постройка")

Pronunciation (Russian):

здание: [ˈzdanʲɪjə]

Note on здание: Stress falls on the first syllable. The soft "н" sound might be tricky for English speakers.

строение: [strɐˈjenʲɪjə]

Note on строение: Stress on the second syllable. Pay attention to the rolled "р".

постройка: [pɐˈstrojkə]

Note on постройка: Stress on the second syllable. The "ой" diphthong sounds like "oy" in "boy".

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. A physical structure (e.g., house, office, school)

Translation(s) & Context:

• здание - Most common and neutral term for any type of building (e.g., office building, school building).
• строение - Used in formal or technical contexts, often for describing structures in documentation.

Usage Examples:

• Это здание очень старое.

  This building is very old.

• Здание школы находится на углу улицы.

  The school building is on the corner of the street.

• Согласно документам, это строение подлежит сносу.

  According to the documents, this structure is to be demolished.

2. The act or process of constructing

Translation(s) & Context:

• постройка - Refers to the process or result of building something, often used informally.

Usage Examples:

• Постройка дома заняла два года.

  The building of the house took two years.

• Эта постройка была сделана вручную.

  This construction was done by hand.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

здание (neuter noun): Declines according to the second declension pattern in Russian. Singular and plural forms are used.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	здание	здания
Genitive	здания	зданий
Dative	зданию	зданиям
Accusative	здание	здания
Instrumental	зданием	зданиями
Prepositional	здании	зданиях

строение (neuter noun): Follows a similar declension pattern to "здание".

постройка (feminine noun): Declines as a first declension feminine noun with regular endings.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for "здание":

• дом (house, often residential)
• сооружение (structure, often larger or more complex)

Note: "дом" is more specific to residential buildings, while "сооружение" implies larger or engineered structures.

Antonyms for "здание":

• разрушение (destruction)

Related Phrases:

• высотное здание - High-rise building (refers to tall structures like skyscrapers).
• жилое здание - Residential building (used for apartment blocks or housing).
• постройка нового дома - Construction of a new house (focus on the process of building).

Usage Notes:

• "здание" is the safest and most neutral choice for translating "building" in most contexts, especially when referring to physical structures like schools, offices, or museums.
• Use "строение" in formal, technical, or legal contexts, such as architecture or property documentation.
• "постройка" emphasizes the act of building or a smaller, often temporary structure, and is less formal.
• Be cautious with gender and case agreement in Russian sentences, as all three translations have different grammatical properties ("здание" and "строение" are neuter, "постройка" is feminine).

Common Errors:

• Error: Using "дом" (house) for any type of building. Incorrect: Это дом школы (This is the house of the school). Correct: Это здание школы (This is the school building). Explanation: "дом" is typically reserved for residential buildings.
• Error: Misusing "постройка" for a finished, permanent building. Incorrect: Это постройка банка (This is the construction of the bank). Correct: Это здание банка (This is the bank building). Explanation: "постройка" implies the process or a temporary/informal structure.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, the term "здание" often evokes images of Soviet-era architecture, such as large, imposing administrative or residential blocks. The word may carry a sense of formality or historical weight, especially when referring to iconic structures like the "здание МГУ" (Moscow State University building).

Related Concepts:

• архитектура (architecture)
• конструкция (construction/design)
• сооружение (structure)