Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Colony'

English Word: colony

Key Russian Translations:

• колония [kɐˈlonʲɪjə] - [Formal, General Use]
• поселение [pəsʲɪˈlʲenʲɪjə] - [Neutral, Often Historical or Contextual]

Frequency: Medium

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate) for both translations

Pronunciation (Russian):

колония: [kɐˈlonʲɪjə]

Note on колония: Stress falls on the second syllable. The 'o' is reduced in unstressed position, sounding closer to 'a'.

поселение: [pəsʲɪˈlʲenʲɪjə]

Note on поселение: Stress on the third syllable. The 'e' in the last syllable is pronounced as 'ye'.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. A territory under the control of another country

Translation(s) & Context:

• колония - Used primarily to refer to a colonial territory controlled by a foreign power.

Usage Examples:

• Эта страна была колонией Великобритании до середины XX века.

  This country was a colony of Great Britain until the mid-20th century.

• Колонии часто эксплуатировались для ресурсов.

  Colonies were often exploited for resources.

• История колонизации оставила глубокий след в культуре региона.

  The history of colonization left a deep mark on the region's culture.

2. A settlement or group of people in a new area

Translation(s) & Context:

• поселение - Refers to a settlement or community, often in a historical or pioneering context.
• колония - Can also be used for a group of settlers, though less common in modern usage.

Usage Examples:

• Первые европейские поселения появились здесь в XVII веке.

  The first European settlements appeared here in the 17th century.

• Колония переселенцев столкнулась с суровыми условиями.

  The colony of settlers faced harsh conditions.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

колония (feminine noun): Follows the first declension pattern in Russian.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	колония	колонии
Genitive	колонии	колоний
Dative	колонии	колониям
Accusative	колонию	колонии
Instrumental	колонией	колониями
Prepositional	о колонии	о колониях

поселение (neuter noun): Follows the second declension pattern.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	поселение	поселения
Genitive	поселения	поселений
Dative	поселению	поселениям
Accusative	поселение	поселения
Instrumental	поселением	поселениями
Prepositional	о поселении	о поселениях

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for колония:

• зависимая территория (dependent territory)
• протекторат (protectorate, in specific contexts)

Synonyms for поселение:

• посёлок (small settlement)
• деревня (village, in rural contexts)

Antonyms:

• метрополия (metropolis, referring to the controlling state of a colony)

Related Phrases:

• бывшая колония - former colony (used to describe a country that gained independence)
• основать поселение - to found a settlement (common in historical contexts)
• колония строгого режима - high-security penal colony (specific modern usage in Russian)

Usage Notes:

• колония is the primary term for a political colony and is widely used in historical and political contexts. However, it can also refer to a penal colony in modern Russian, so context is key.
• поселение is more neutral and often used for any kind of settlement, not necessarily implying political control. It is common in discussions of early human history or migration.
• When translating "colony" into Russian, choose based on whether the context is political (use колония) or merely descriptive of a group of settlers (use поселение).

Common Errors:

1. Mixing up колония and поселение: English speakers often use колония in all contexts, but it is incorrect to use it for a neutral settlement without political implications. For example, saying "колония первопроходцев" for "a colony of pioneers" sounds odd; use "поселение первопроходцев" instead.

2. Incorrect case usage: Learners often forget to decline nouns like колония and поселение according to Russian grammar rules. For instance, saying "Я живу в колония" (wrong accusative) instead of "Я живу в колонии" (correct prepositional).

Cultural Notes:

In Russian, the term колония carries strong historical connotations, often tied to discussions of imperialism and exploitation, especially in the context of European colonial history. Additionally, in modern usage, колония can refer to penal colonies, a concept tied to Russia's history of sending prisoners to remote areas like Siberia.

Related Concepts:

• империя (empire)
• независимость (independence)
• миграция (migration)