Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Convulse'

English Word: convulse

Key Russian Translations:

• содрогаться [sədrɐˈɡaːtʲsə] - [Informal, Often figurative for shuddering or trembling]
• конвульсировать [kənvʊlʲˈsʲirəvətʲ] - [Formal, Medical or technical context]
• сотрясаться [sətrʲɪˈsatʲsə] - [Often used for physical shaking or trembling]

Frequency: Medium (used in specific contexts like medical or emotional descriptions)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate) for "содрогаться" and "сотрясаться"; C1 (Advanced) for "конвульсировать" due to formal and medical usage

Pronunciation (Russian):

содрогаться: [sədrɐˈɡaːtʲsə]

Note on содрогаться: Stress falls on the second syllable; the "г" is pronounced as a voiced fricative.

конвульсировать: [kənvʊlʲˈsʲirəvətʲ]

Note on конвульсировать: Stress on the third syllable; a more technical term with Latin roots.

сотрясаться: [sətrʲɪˈsatʲsə]

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To shake violently (physical or emotional)

Translation(s) & Context:

• содрогаться - Used for emotional shuddering or physical trembling, often with a negative connotation (e.g., fear, disgust).
• сотрясаться - Refers to physical shaking, often of the body or ground (e.g., during an earthquake).

Usage Examples:

• Она содрогалась от ужаса, увидев аварию.

  She convulsed with horror upon seeing the accident.

• Его тело сотрясалось от холода.

  His body convulsed from the cold.

2. To experience convulsions (medical context)

Translation(s) & Context:

• конвульсировать - Used in medical or formal contexts to describe seizures or spasms.

Usage Examples:

• Пациент начал конвульсировать после приступа.

  The patient began to convulse after the seizure.

• Её мышцы конвульсировали от боли.

  Her muscles convulsed from pain.

• Врач отметил, что ребёнок конвульсировал несколько минут.

  The doctor noted that the child convulsed for several minutes.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

содрогаться (imperfective verb, reflexive): Regular conjugation in present, past, and future tenses. Often used with prepositional phrases like "от ужаса" (from horror).

конвульсировать (imperfective verb): Regular conjugation, less common in everyday speech, primarily in medical texts.

сотрясаться (imperfective verb, reflexive): Regular conjugation, often used with instrumental case for cause of shaking.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for содрогаться:

• дрожать (to tremble)
• вздрагивать (to shudder)

Note: "дрожать" is more general for trembling, while "вздрагивать" implies a sudden reaction.

Antonyms for содрогаться:

• успокаиваться (to calm down)

Related Phrases:

• содрогаться от страха - to convulse with fear
• сотрясаться от смеха - to convulse with laughter (literal shaking from laughing)
• конвульсировать во сне - to convulse in sleep (medical context)

Usage Notes:

• "содрогаться" often carries an emotional or figurative tone, used for reactions to fear, disgust, or horror. It is the most versatile of the translations.
• "конвульсировать" is strictly medical or technical and should be avoided in casual speech.
• "сотрясаться" is more physical and can describe both human bodies and inanimate objects (e.g., the ground during an earthquake).
• Reflexive verbs like "содрогаться" and "сотрясаться" always require the "-ся" ending, which may be dropped in some derived forms.

Common Errors:

1. Using "конвульсировать" in emotional contexts:

Wrong: Она конвульсировала от страха. (She convulsed from fear - sounds overly medical.)

Correct: Она содрогалась от страха. (She shuddered/convulsed from fear.)

Explanation: "конвульсировать" is reserved for physical or medical convulsions, not emotional reactions.

2. Forgetting reflexive endings:

Wrong: Я содрогаю. (Incorrect without "-ся".)

Correct: Я содрогаюсь.

Explanation: Reflexive verbs like "содрогаться" always need the reflexive particle "-ся".

Cultural Notes:

In Russian, "содрогаться" is often used in literature and speech to convey deep emotional reactions, especially in dramatic or tragic contexts. It appears frequently in classic Russian novels by authors like Dostoevsky to describe intense feelings of dread or moral conflict.

Related Concepts:

• дрожь (trembling)
• спазм (spasm)
• приступ (seizure)