Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Commonplace'

English Word: Commonplace

Key Russian Translations:

• банальный [bɐˈnalʲnɨj] - [Adjective, Neutral]
• обыденный [ɐbɨˈdʲenːɨj] - [Adjective, Neutral to Informal]
• заурядный [zəʊˈrʲadnɨj] - [Adjective, Slightly Negative]

Frequency: Medium

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate) for all translations

Pronunciation (Russian):

банальный: [bɐˈnalʲnɨj]

Note on банальный: Stress falls on the second syllable. The 'л' sound is palatalized.

обыденный: [ɐbɨˈdʲenːɨj]

Note on обыденный: Stress on the third syllable. The 'д' is soft due to the following 'е'.

заурядный: [zəʊˈrʲadnɨj]

Note on заурядный: Stress on the second syllable. The 'р' is rolled slightly.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. Ordinary or Usual (Neutral Sense)

Translation(s) & Context:

• обыденный - Used to describe something everyday or routine, often without negative connotation.

Usage Examples:

• Это обыденная ситуация в нашей жизни.

  This is a commonplace situation in our lives.

• Его мысли были довольно обыденными.

  His thoughts were quite commonplace.

• Обыденные дела занимают всё моё время.

  Commonplace tasks take up all my time.

2. Lacking Originality (Negative Sense)

Translation(s) & Context:

• банальный - Often used to describe something trite or clichéd, with a negative tone.
• заурядный - Implies mediocrity or lack of distinction, slightly stronger negative connotation.

Usage Examples:

• Его речь была банальной и скучной.

  His speech was commonplace and boring.

• Это банальная идея, ничего нового.

  This is a commonplace idea, nothing new.

• Он был заурядным человеком без особых талантов.

  He was a commonplace person without any special talents.

• Заурядные фильмы быстро забываются.

  Commonplace movies are quickly forgotten.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

All translations are adjectives and follow standard Russian adjective declension rules based on gender, number, and case.

банальный (banal'nyy) - Declension Example (Masculine, Feminine, Neuter, Plural):

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	банальный	банальная	банальное	банальные
Genitive	банального	банальной	банального	банальных

Note: Similar declension patterns apply to обыденный and заурядный.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for банальный:

• тривиальный
• избитый

Note: "избитый" is often used for overused expressions or ideas.

Synonyms for обыденный:

• повседневный
• рутинный

Antonyms:

• оригинальный
• необычный

Related Phrases:

• банальная фраза - A clichéd phrase.
• обыденная жизнь - Everyday life.
• заурядный человек - An ordinary, unremarkable person.

Usage Notes:

• While all three translations can mean "commonplace," their tone and context differ. "банальный" often carries a negative connotation of being trite or unoriginal, suitable for ideas or expressions. "обыденный" is more neutral, often referring to everyday matters. "заурядный" suggests mediocrity and is typically used for people or things lacking distinction.

• Choose the translation based on the intended tone: use "обыденный" for neutral descriptions of routine matters, and "банальный" or "заурядный" when implying a lack of originality or value.

Common Errors:

Error 1: Using "банальный" for neutral everyday situations.

Incorrect: Мой день был банальным. (My day was banal - sounds overly negative.)

Correct: Мой день был обыденным. (My day was commonplace - neutral tone.)

Explanation: "банальный" implies something clichéd or lacking originality, so it is inappropriate for neutral descriptions of daily life.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian, describing something as "заурядный" can be quite critical, as Russian culture often values uniqueness or distinction in personal qualities or achievements. Using this term for a person might be taken as an insult, unlike the more neutral English "commonplace."

Related Concepts:

• рутина (routine)
• клише (cliché)
• стандартный (standard)