Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Detain'

English Word: detain

Key Russian Translations:

• задерживать [zədʲɪrˈʐɨvətʲ] - [Formal, Informal, Verb]
• удерживать [ʊdʲɪrˈʐɨvətʲ] - [Formal, Often figurative or emotional context]

Frequency: Medium

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate) for both translations

Pronunciation (Russian):

задерживать: [zədʲɪrˈʐɨvətʲ]

Note on задерживать: The stress falls on the third syllable. The 'zh' sound is a voiced retroflex fricative, unique to Russian.

удерживать: [ʊdʲɪrˈʐɨvətʲ]

Note on удерживать: Similar to задерживать, stress is on the third syllable. Pay attention to the soft 'd' sound.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To hold someone in custody or delay someone (literal)

Translation(s) & Context:

• задерживать - Commonly used in legal or formal contexts, such as police detaining a suspect.

Usage Examples:

• Полиция задержала подозреваемого на месте преступления.

  The police detained the suspect at the crime scene.

• Его задержали на границе из-за проблем с документами.

  He was detained at the border due to issues with his documents.

• Нас задержали в аэропорту из-за плохой погоды.

  We were detained at the airport due to bad weather.

2. To keep or hold back (figurative or emotional)

Translation(s) & Context:

• удерживать - Used when referring to holding back emotions, attention, or abstract concepts.

Usage Examples:

• Она не могла удерживать слёзы, слушая его рассказ.

  She couldn’t hold back her tears while listening to his story.

• Этот фильм не смог удерживать моё внимание.

  This movie couldn’t hold my attention.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

задерживать (Imperfective Verb):

Note: Perfective form is задержать.

удерживать (Imperfective Verb): Follows similar conjugation patterns as задерживать. Perfective form is удержать.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for задерживать:

• арестować
• останавливать

Note: арестować is more specific to legal arrest, while останавливать can mean stopping or delaying in a broader sense.

Antonyms for задерживать:

• отпускать
• освобождать

Related Phrases:

• задерживать дыхание - Hold one’s breath (literal or figurative).
• удерживать позицию - Hold a position (military or figurative).
• задерживать развитие - Delay development (often used in abstract contexts).

Usage Notes:

• Choosing between translations: Use задерживать for physical or legal detention (e.g., by police or delays). Use удерживать for more abstract or emotional contexts (e.g., holding back tears or attention).
• Aspectual pairs: Both verbs are imperfective. Their perfective counterparts (задержать and удержать) are used for completed actions.
• Formality: Both terms can be used in formal and informal settings, but context dictates appropriateness.

Common Errors:

• Mixing up задерживать and удерживать: English learners often use удерживать in legal contexts, which is incorrect. For example, saying "Полиция удержала подозреваемого" is wrong; it should be "Полиция задержала подозреваемого."
• Incorrect aspect usage: Using the imperfective form when a completed action is implied. For example, "Я задерживаю его вчера" is incorrect; it should be "Я задержал его вчера" (perfective past tense).

Cultural Notes:

In Russian-speaking countries, the concept of "detaining" someone, especially in a legal context (задерживать), often carries a strong association with bureaucratic or authoritative processes. It may evoke historical connotations related to Soviet-era practices, so sensitivity to context is advised when discussing such topics.

Related Concepts:

• арест
• ограничение
• задержка