Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'deter'

English Word: deter

Key Russian Translations:

• отговаривать [ɐtɡɐˈvarʲɪvətʲ] - [Informal, Often used in personal contexts]
• удерживать [ʊdʲɪrˈʐɨvətʲ] - [Formal, Often used in legal or serious contexts]
• предотвращать [prʲɪdɐtvrɐˈʂːatʲ] - [Formal, Used for preventing actions or events]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in specific contexts like law or persuasion)

Difficulty: B1-B2 (Intermediate; varies slightly by translation)

Pronunciation (Russian):

отговаривать: [ɐtɡɐˈvarʲɪvətʲ]

Note on отговаривать: Stress falls on the third syllable. The 'г' is pronounced softly due to the following 'о'.

удерживать: [ʊdʲɪrˈʐɨvətʲ]

Note on удерживать: Stress on the third syllable. Pay attention to the soft 'д' sound.

предотвращать: [prʲɪdɐtvrɐˈʂːatʲ]

Note on предотвращать: Stress on the fifth syllable. The 'щ' sound is a distinct feature in Russian.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To discourage someone from doing something:

Translation(s) & Context:

• отговаривать - Used in informal settings, often to dissuade someone personally.
• удерживать - Used in more formal or serious contexts, implying holding someone back.

Usage Examples:

• Я пытался отговаривать его от этой идеи.

  I tried to deter him from this idea.

• Её слова не могли меня удерживать от действия.

  Her words couldn’t deter me from acting.

• Мы должны отговаривать молодых людей от плохих решений.

  We should deter young people from making bad decisions.

2. To prevent or stop something from happening:

Translation(s) & Context:

• предотвращать - Used in formal contexts, often related to events or negative outcomes.

Usage Examples:

• Меры были приняты, чтобы предотвращать аварии.

  Measures were taken to deter accidents.

• Законы помогают предотвращать преступность.

  Laws help to deter crime.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

отговаривать (Verb, Imperfective): Follows regular conjugation for -ать verbs. Often used with the preposition 'от' + Genitive case.

Person	Present Tense	Past Tense (Masculine/Feminine/Neuter)
Я (I)	отговариваю	отговаривал / отговаривала / отговаривало
Ты (You, informal)	отговариваешь	отговаривал / отговаривала / отговаривало
Он/Она/Оно (He/She/It)	отговаривает	отговаривал / отговаривала / отговаривало

удерживать (Verb, Imperfective): Regular conjugation, often used with Accusative case.

предотвращать (Verb, Imperfective): Regular conjugation for -ать verbs, often used with Accusative case for the object being prevented.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for отговаривать:

• разубеждать
• отсоветовать (Perfective)

Note: 'разубеждать' is slightly more formal and implies changing someone’s mind through reasoning.

Antonyms for отговаривать:

• уговаривать
• убеждать

Related Phrases:

• отговаривать от ошибки - To deter someone from making a mistake.
• удерживать от опасности - To deter someone from danger (lit. to hold back from danger).
• предотвращать катастрофу - To deter a catastrophe (to prevent a disaster).

Usage Notes:

• 'отговаривать' is more personal and often used in conversations to dissuade someone from a decision or action.
• 'удерживать' can imply physical or emotional restraint and is often used in more serious or formal contexts.
• 'предотвращать' is typically reserved for preventing events or outcomes, not usually for personal persuasion.
• Pay attention to the aspect of the verb: all listed translations are imperfective, focusing on the process of deterring. Perfective forms like 'отговорить' or 'предотвратить' imply a completed action.

Common Errors:

• Error: Confusing 'отговаривать' with 'уговаривать' (to persuade). Example of error: *Я пытался уговоривать его от поездки* (incorrect, means persuading to go). Correct: Я пытался отговаривать его от поездки (I tried to deter him from the trip).
• Error: Using 'предотвращать' in personal contexts. Example of error: *Я предотвратил его от ошибки* (incorrect). Correct: Я отговорил его от ошибки (I deterred him from the mistake).

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, personal persuasion (as with 'отговаривать') often plays a significant role in close relationships. Russians may use this verb in family or friendship contexts to express care or concern, which might feel more direct compared to English-speaking cultures.

Related Concepts:

• убеждение (persuasion)
• запрет (prohibition)
• предупреждение (warning)