Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'connive'

English Word: connive

Key Russian Translations:

• сговориться [sɐɡɐˈvɔrʲɪt͡sə] - [Informal, often used in everyday contexts involving secret agreements]
• потакать [pɐˈtakətʲ] - [Formal, typically in legal or moral contexts where one overlooks wrongdoing]

Frequency: Medium (commonly encountered in literature, news, and discussions about ethics or politics, but not in casual daily conversation)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of nuanced verb conjugations and contextual implications; сговориться may be slightly easier at B1 for informal use, while потакать is more advanced due to its formal tone)

Pronunciation (Russian):

сговориться: [sɐɡɐˈvɔrʲɪt͡sə]

Note on сговориться: The stress falls on the third syllable ("vɔrʲ"), which can be tricky for English speakers due to Russian's mobile stress patterns. It’s a reflexive verb, so the -ся ending affects pronunciation slightly.

Audio: []

потакать: [pɐˈtakətʲ]

Note on потакать: The soft sign (ʲ) indicates palatalization, making the "t" sound softer; stress is on the second syllable, common in imperfective verbs.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To conspire or plot secretly (primary meaning of "connive")

Translation(s) & Context:

• сговориться - Used in informal settings, such as personal relationships or underground activities, to imply a secret agreement.
• потакать - Applied in more formal contexts, like professional or ethical discussions, to mean turning a blind eye to illicit behavior.

Usage Examples:

• Они сговорились украсть документы из офиса.

  They connived to steal the documents from the office. (Shows secretive plotting in an informal, criminal context.)

• Друзья сговорились против школьного правила, чтобы устроить вечеринку.

  The friends connived against the school rule to organize a party. (Illustrates informal rebellion among peers.)

• Начальник потакал коррупции в компании, игнорируя отчеты.

  The boss connived at corruption in the company by ignoring the reports. (Demonstrates formal overlooking of wrongdoing in a professional setting.)

• Она потакала брату, не сообщая родителям о его планах.

  She connived with her brother by not telling their parents about his plans. (Highlights familial or ethical complicity.)

• В фильме персонажи сговорились для побега из тюрьмы.

  In the movie, the characters connived to escape from prison. (Depicts narrative use in storytelling.)

To deliberately overlook or ignore wrongdoing (secondary meaning)

Translation(s) & Context:

• потакать - Best for contexts involving moral or legal negligence, often in authoritative roles.
• сговориться - Less common here, but possible in informal pacts of silence.

Usage Examples:

• Преподаватель потакал плагиату, не проверяя работы студентов.

  The teacher connived at plagiarism by not checking the students' work. (Focuses on educational or ethical lapses.)

• Соседи сговорились не сообщать полиции о шуме.

  The neighbors connived not to report the noise to the police. (Informal agreement to ignore a disturbance.)

• Он потакал мошенничеству, чтобы сохранить дружбу.

  He connived at the fraud to maintain the friendship. (Shows personal conflict in decision-making.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both translations are verbs, with сговориться being a perfective reflexive verb and потакать an imperfective verb. Russian verbs inflect based on tense, aspect, person, and number. сговориться is irregular in some forms due to its reflexive nature, while потакать follows standard imperfective patterns.

Note: сговориться does not change in all aspects like imperfectives, making it more straightforward in perfective contexts.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • замышлять (to plot, with a focus on planning evil deeds)
  • сговариваться (to negotiate secretly, similar but less intense)
• Antonyms:
  • разоблачать (to expose or reveal)
  • противостоять (to oppose or resist)

Related Phrases:

• В сговоре быть - To be in cahoots (used for secret alliances, often in criminal contexts).
• Потакать кому-то - To indulge someone (implies enabling bad behavior, with a connotation of weakness).
• Сговориться на сделке - To connive on a deal (refers to underhanded agreements in business).

Usage Notes:

Choose сговориться for informal, action-oriented scenarios where secret planning is key, as it conveys a sense of immediate conspiracy. Use потакать for situations involving passive complicity or overlooking faults, which aligns more with formal English uses of "connive at." Be mindful of aspect: сговориться is perfective (completed action), while потакать is imperfective (ongoing). In Russian, these verbs often require specific prepositions, like "с" for сговориться, to indicate with whom the conniving occurs.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using сговориться in formal contexts, e.g., saying "Я сговорился с коллегой" when a more neutral verb like "договорился" is intended. Correct: "Я потакал коррупции" for overlooking issues. Explanation: сговориться implies active plotting, which can sound too dramatic; потакать is better for passive ignoring.
• Mistake: Forgetting reflexive endings, e.g., saying "сговорю" instead of "сговорюсь." Correct: Always include -ся for сговориться. Explanation: This changes the verb's meaning entirely, making it non-reflexive and altering the intent.
• Mistake: Confusing with similar verbs like "соглашаться" (to agree openly). Correct: Use сговориться for secrecy. Explanation: English learners often overlook the covert nuance, leading to miscommunication in ethical discussions.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like сговориться often appear in literature and media depicting intrigue, such as in Dostoevsky's works, where secret plots reflect themes of moral corruption. This reflects a historical suspicion of conspiracies in Russian society, stemming from events like the Soviet era, adding a layer of distrust to everyday language.

Related Concepts:

• предательство (betrayal)
• заговор (conspiracy)
• интрига (intrigue)