Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Deplete'

English Word: Deplete

Key Russian Translations:

• истощить [ɪsˈtoʂːɪtʲ] - [Formal, Often used for resources or energy]
• исчерпать [ɪsˈtʂɛrpətʲ] - [Formal, Often used for exhausting supplies or options]
• опустошить [ɐpʊsˈtoʂːɪtʲ] - [Neutral, Can refer to physical or emotional depletion]

Frequency: Medium (used in specific contexts like resources or energy)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate) for all translations due to nuanced usage and conjugation patterns

Pronunciation (Russian):

истощить: [ɪsˈtoʂːɪtʲ]

Note on истощить: Stress falls on the second syllable. The "щ" sound is a soft, prolonged "sh" unique to Russian.

исчерпать: [ɪsˈtʂɛrpətʲ]

Note on исчерпать: Stress on the second syllable. The "ч" is a soft "ch" sound.

опустошить: [ɐpʊsˈtoʂːɪtʲ]

Note on опустошить: Stress on the third syllable. Pay attention to the initial unstressed "о" sounding like "a."

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To reduce or exhaust a supply or resource

Translation(s) & Context:

• истощить - Often used for natural resources or physical strength (e.g., soil, energy).
• исчерпать - Used for abstract or concrete exhaustion (e.g., options, reserves).

Usage Examples:

• Мы истощили запасы воды в этом районе.

  We have depleted the water reserves in this area.

• Долгие годы работы истощили его силы.

  Years of work have depleted his strength.

• Они исчерпали все возможные варианты решения.

  They have depleted all possible solutions.

2. To empty or devastate (physically or emotionally)

Translation(s) & Context:

• опустошить - Used for both literal emptying (e.g., a place) and emotional devastation.

Usage Examples:

• Война опустошила целые деревни.

  The war depleted entire villages.

• Его сердце было опустошено после потери.

  His heart was depleted after the loss.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

All translations are verbs and follow Russian conjugation patterns for perfective verbs (indicating completed action). Below is the conjugation for истощить as an example:

Note: Similar patterns apply to исчерпать and опустошить, though stem changes and stress shifts may occur. These are perfective verbs, so they lack present tense forms (imperfective equivalents like истощать exist for ongoing actions).

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for истощить/исчерпать (deplete resources):

• израсходовать
• вычерпать

Note: израсходовать is more common for spending or using up (e.g., money), while вычерпать is often literal (e.g., scooping out water).

Antonyms for истощить/исчерпать:

• пополнить
• восстановить

Related Phrases:

• истощить запасы - Deplete reserves (used for resources like food or fuel).
• исчерпать терпение - Deplete patience (idiomatic, meaning to run out of patience).
• опустошить душу - Deplete the soul (emotional devastation).

Usage Notes:

• Choose истощить when referring to physical or natural depletion (e.g., energy, soil), often with a negative connotation of overuse.
• Use исчерпать for abstract or comprehensive exhaustion (e.g., ideas, possibilities), often implying nothing remains.
• Opt for опустошить when emphasizing devastation or complete emptying, whether physical (a place) or emotional (a person’s spirit).
• Be aware that these are perfective verbs, used for completed actions. For ongoing depletion, imperfective forms like истощать or опустошать are needed.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using истощить for emotional contexts. Wrong: "Он истощил меня эмоционально." Correct: "Он опустошил меня эмоционально." (Emotional depletion uses опустошить.)
• Error: Mixing up perfective and imperfective aspects. Wrong: "Я истощаю воду каждый день." Correct: "Я истощаю воду каждый день" should use the imperfective истощаю for ongoing action.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian, the concept of depletion, especially with опустошить, often carries a dramatic or tragic tone, frequently used in literature or historical contexts to describe war, loss, or personal devastation. It’s less casual than "deplete" might be in English.

Related Concepts:

• разрушение (destruction)
• упадок (decline)
• истощение (exhaustion)