Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Chalet'

English Word: chalet

Key Russian Translations:

• шале [ʃaˈlɛ] - [Neutral, Often used in tourism or architecture contexts]
• дача [ˈdatʃə] - [Informal, Refers to a country house, not always a direct equivalent]

Frequency: Medium (шале is less common in everyday speech but frequent in specific contexts; дача is very common)

Difficulty: A2 for шале (Beginner-Intermediate); A1 for дача (Beginner)

Pronunciation (Russian):

шале: [ʃaˈlɛ]

Note on шале: The stress is on the second syllable, and the 'ш' sound is a soft 'sh' typical in Russian.

дача: [ˈdatʃə]

Note on дача: The stress is on the first syllable, with a clear 'ch' sound as in 'church'.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. A small wooden house or cottage, typically in the Alps or a mountainous area

Translation(s) & Context:

• шале - Used specifically for Alpine-style cottages or vacation homes in mountainous regions, often in tourism or real estate contexts.

Usage Examples:

• Мы арендовали шале в горах на выходные.

  We rented a chalet in the mountains for the weekend.

• Это шале выглядит как из сказки.

  This chalet looks like something out of a fairy tale.

• Шале в Альпах стоят очень дорого.

  Chalets in the Alps are very expensive.

2. A country house or dacha (broader sense of a vacation home)

Translation(s) & Context:

• дача - Refers to a country house or summer cottage, often used by Russians for weekends or gardening, not necessarily in mountains.

Usage Examples:

• Мы едем на дачу каждое лето.

  We go to the dacha every summer.

• На даче мы выращиваем овощи и фрукты.

  At the dacha, we grow vegetables and fruits.

• Дача находится недалеко от города.

  The dacha is located not far from the city.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

шале (neuter noun, indeclinable): This word does not change form regardless of case or number. It is a borrowed term from French and retains its original form in Russian.

дача (feminine noun, regular declension): This word follows the standard declension pattern for feminine nouns ending in -а.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for шале:

• коттедж (cottage, often in a modern context)
• домик в горах (small house in the mountains, descriptive)

Note: коттедж often implies a more modern or luxurious house compared to шале, which evokes a traditional Alpine style.

Synonyms for дача:

• загородный дом (country house)
• усадьба (estate, more formal or historical)

Antonyms: None directly applicable, as these terms describe specific types of houses without clear opposites.

Related Phrases:

• горное шале - Mountain chalet (refers to a chalet in a mountainous area)
• дача за городом - Dacha outside the city (common way to describe the location of a dacha)
• жить на даче - To live at the dacha (implies spending extended time there, often in summer)

Usage Notes:

• Choosing between шале and дача: Use шале when referring specifically to an Alpine-style cottage or a vacation home in a mountainous area, often in a tourism context. Use дача for a general country house or summer cottage, which is a very common concept in Russian culture.
• Register: шале is a neutral term, often used in written or formal contexts (e.g., travel brochures). дача is informal and widely used in everyday speech.
• Grammar: Remember that шале is indeclinable, so it remains the same in all cases, which can be confusing for learners. дача follows regular feminine noun declension.

Common Errors:

• Mixing шале and дача: English speakers might use дача to mean any vacation home, including a chalet in the mountains. This is incorrect because дача typically implies a simpler country house, often with a garden, not necessarily in the mountains. Correct: "Мы отдыхали в шале в горах" (We stayed in a chalet in the mountains); Incorrect: "Мы отдыхали на даче в горах".
• Declining шале: Since шале is indeclinable, learners often mistakenly try to change its form in different cases. Correct: "Я мечтаю о шале"; Incorrect: "Я мечтаю о шалех".

Cultural Notes:

The concept of дача holds significant cultural importance in Russia. It represents not just a physical place but a lifestyle—many Russians spend weekends or summers at their dachas, engaging in gardening, barbecuing, and relaxing away from the city. шале, on the other hand, is a more niche term associated with Western European culture and is less tied to everyday Russian life.

Related Concepts:

• коттедж (cottage)
• загородный дом (country house)
• домик (small house)