Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Coast'

English Word: Coast

Key Russian Translations:

• берег [ˈbʲerʲɪk] - [General, Singular]
• побережье [pəbʲɪˈrʲeʐjə] - [Broader area, Often used for larger coastal regions]

Frequency: High (commonly used in both spoken and written contexts)

Difficulty: A2 (Beginner-Intermediate for both translations)

Pronunciation (Russian):

берег: [ˈbʲerʲɪk]

Note on берег: Stress falls on the first syllable. The 'г' is pronounced as a voiced fricative in standard Russian.

побережье: [pəbʲɪˈrʲeʐjə]

Note on побережье: Stress falls on the third syllable. The 'ж' sound is a voiced retroflex fricative, which may be challenging for non-native speakers.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. The land along the edge of the sea or ocean

Translation(s) & Context:

• берег - Used for the immediate edge or bank of a body of water, often smaller in scope.
• побережье - Refers to a larger coastal area or shoreline, often used in geographical contexts.

Usage Examples:

• Мы гуляли по берегу моря.

  We walked along the coast of the sea.

• На этом побережье много красивых пляжей.

  There are many beautiful beaches on this coast.

• Берег реки был покрыт зелёной травой.

  The riverbank (coast) was covered with green grass.

• Побережье Чёрного моря популярно среди туристов.

  The Black Sea coast is popular among tourists.

• С корабля виден далёкий берег.

  From the ship, you can see the distant coast.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

берег (noun, masculine, inanimate): Follows the second declension pattern in Russian. Below is the declension table for singular and plural forms.

побережье (noun, neuter, inanimate): Follows the second declension pattern with a soft stem. Below is the declension table for singular and plural forms.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for берег:

• край (edge, often metaphorical)
• набережная (embankment, often urban)

Synonyms for побережье:

• прибрежная зона (coastal zone, more technical)

Antonyms:

• внутренние районы (inland areas)
• глубина (depth, as opposed to the edge)

Related Phrases:

• на берегу моря - "by the seaside" (common expression for location)
• побережье океана - "ocean coast" (used in geographical descriptions)
• остаться на берегу - "to stay on the shore" (can be literal or metaphorical, meaning to miss out)

Usage Notes:

• While both "берег" and "побережье" translate to "coast," "берег" is more versatile and can refer to the bank of any body of water (river, lake, sea), whereas "побережье" typically implies a larger, often marine, coastal area.
• Use "побережье" in formal or geographical contexts, such as discussing a region's coastline. Use "берег" for more everyday or specific references to a shore or bank.
• Be mindful of grammatical cases when using these nouns, as Russian relies heavily on declension to indicate relationships in a sentence.

Common Errors:

• Error: Confusing "берег" and "побережье" by using them interchangeably. For example, saying "побережье реки" for a riverbank is incorrect. Correct usage: Use "берег реки" for a riverbank and reserve "побережье" for larger sea or ocean coasts.
• Error: Incorrect case usage, such as using the nominative case after prepositions. For example, "на берег" instead of "на берегу" (locative case). Correct usage: Learn the appropriate case for prepositions like "на" (requires locative or accusative depending on context).

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, the "coast" or "побережье" often evokes images of popular vacation destinations, such as the Black Sea coast (Чёрное море), which is a significant cultural and historical region. References to "берег" might appear in literature or folklore, symbolizing boundaries or transitions.

Related Concepts:

• море (sea)
• пляж (beach)
• река (river)
• волна (wave)