Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Convince'

English Word: Convince

Key Russian Translations:

• убедить [ʊbʲɪˈdʲitʲ] - [Formal, Perfective]
• убеждать [ʊbʲɪʐˈdatʲ] - [Formal, Imperfective]
• склонить [sklɐˈnʲitʲ] - [Formal, Perfective, Often used for persuasion to a decision]

Frequency: High

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate) for "убедить" and "убеждать"; B2 (Upper-Intermediate) for "склонить"

Pronunciation (Russian):

убедить: [ʊbʲɪˈdʲitʲ]

Note on убедить: Stress falls on the second syllable. The soft 'д' sound is a common challenge for non-native speakers.

убеждать: [ʊbʲɪʐˈdatʲ]

Note on убеждать: The 'ж' sound is a voiced fricative, similar to 's' in "measure". Stress on the second syllable.

склонить: [sklɐˈnʲitʲ]

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To persuade someone to believe something

Translation(s) & Context:

• убедить - Used when the act of persuasion is completed (perfective aspect).
• убеждать - Used for ongoing or repeated persuasion (imperfective aspect).

Usage Examples:

• Я смог убедить его в своей правоте.

  I managed to convince him of my rightness.

• Она долго убеждала меня принять это решение.

  She was convincing me for a long time to make this decision.

• Его слова убедили всех присутствующих.

  His words convinced everyone present.

2. To persuade someone to take action or agree

Translation(s) & Context:

• склонить - Often implies persuading someone toward a specific decision or inclination.

Usage Examples:

• Ему удалось склонить её к участию в проекте.

  He managed to convince her to participate in the project.

• Мы смогли склонить их к компромиссу.

  We were able to convince them to compromise.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

убедить (Perfective Verb): Follows regular conjugation for perfective verbs of the second conjugation. Key forms:

убеждать (Imperfective Verb): Follows regular conjugation for imperfective verbs of the first conjugation. Infinitive stem: "убежда-".

склонить (Perfective Verb): Follows regular conjugation for perfective verbs of the second conjugation. Infinitive stem: "склон-".

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for убедить/убеждать:

• доказать (to prove)
• уговорить (to persuade, more colloquial)

Note: "уговорить" is often more informal and implies a softer, conversational persuasion.

Antonyms for убедить/убеждать:

• разубедить (to dissuade)
• отговорить (to talk out of something)

Related Phrases:

• убедить в правоте - to convince of being right.
• убеждать с трудом - to convince with difficulty.
• склонить на свою сторону - to convince to take one's side.

Usage Notes:

• In Russian, the choice between "убедить" (perfective) and "убеждать" (imperfective) depends on whether the act of convincing is completed or ongoing. Use "убедить" for a successful or one-time result, and "убеждать" for a process or repeated attempts.
• "склонить" often carries a nuance of guiding someone toward a specific choice or decision, and is less commonly used than "убедить".
• These verbs typically require the accusative case for the person being convinced, followed by a preposition like "в" or an infinitive for the object of persuasion (e.g., "убедить в необходимости" - to convince of the necessity).

Common Errors:

• Error: Confusing "убедить" and "убеждать" due to aspect. Example: *Я убеждаю его вчера* (incorrect) instead of *Я убедил его вчера* (correct: I convinced him yesterday). Explanation: "убеждать" cannot be used for completed actions in the past; use the perfective "убедить".
• Error: Incorrect case usage after the verb. Example: *Я убедил его о правде* (incorrect) instead of *Я убедил его в правде* (correct). Explanation: "убедить" requires the preposition "в" with the prepositional case for abstract concepts like "truth".

Cultural Notes:

In Russian communication, persuasion often involves a more direct or emotionally charged approach compared to English. Using "убедить" or "убеждать" might imply a strong argument or appeal to logic, while softer persuasion (like "уговорить") is more common in personal or informal contexts.

Related Concepts:

• доказательство (proof)
• аргумент (argument)
• влияние (influence)