Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'dribble'

English Word: dribble

Key Russian Translations:

• вести мяч [ˈvʲesʲtʲɪ mʲatʂ] - [Informal, Sports context, e.g., basketball or soccer]
• капать [kɐˈpatʲ] - [General, Informal, for liquids dripping]

Frequency: Medium (Common in sports discussions but less frequent in everyday casual speech)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate, based on CEFR; requires understanding of context-specific verbs and basic conjugations)

Pronunciation (Russian):

вести мяч: [ˈvʲesʲtʲɪ mʲatʂ]

капать: [kɐˈpatʲ]

Note on вести мяч: The stress is on the first syllable of "вести" [ˈvʲesʲtʲɪ], and "м яч" [mʲatʂ] has a soft 'y' sound; be careful with the palatalization, which is common in Russian verbs.

Note on капать: The 'a' in the second syllable is pronounced as a short 'a' [ɐ], and this verb often softens in informal speech.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: In sports, to move the ball by bouncing it repeatedly (e.g., in basketball or soccer)

Translation(s) & Context:

• вести мяч - Used in athletic contexts, such as games or training, to describe skillful ball handling.

Usage Examples:

• Игрок ловко ведёт мяч мимо защитников.

  The player skillfully dribbles the ball past the defenders.

• В баскетболе важно уметь вести мяч одной рукой.

  In basketball, it's important to know how to dribble the ball with one hand.

• Команда начала вести мяч в атаку после перерыва.

  The team started dribbling the ball into attack after the break.

• Молодой футболист учит вести мяч, чтобы улучшить технику.

  The young soccer player is learning to dribble the ball to improve his technique.

Meaning 2: To let a liquid fall in drops, or a small amount of liquid

Translation(s) & Context:

• капать - Used for describing the slow dripping of liquids, such as water from a faucet or saliva.

Usage Examples:

• Вода начала капать из крана, когда мы ушли.

  Water started dribbling from the faucet when we left.

• Ребёнок начал капать слюной во время сна.

  The child started dribbling saliva while sleeping.

• Капать дождь через дырявую крышу может наделать много проблем.

  Rain dribbling through the leaky roof can cause a lot of problems.

• Масло начало капать на плиту, вызывая дым.

  Oil started dribbling onto the stove, causing smoke.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For "вести мяч" (a verb phrase where "вести" is the main verb):

"Вести" is an imperfective verb in the infinitive form. It follows the pattern of first-conjugation verbs in Russian. Here's a basic conjugation table for "вести" in the present tense:

Note: "Мяч" is a masculine noun in the accusative case here, and it inflects as follows: Nominative - мяч, Genitive - мяча, Dative - мячу, etc. It has standard third-declension patterns.

For "капать" (another imperfective verb):

It conjugates regularly. Present tense table:

This verb is irregular in some aspects but follows common patterns. It does not change in perfective forms like "капнуть" for a single action.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • обводить (obvodit) - Similar to вести мяч in sports, but implies more evasion; used for dodging opponents.
  • струиться (struitsya) - For liquids, as a synonym of капать, implying a steady flow.
• Antonyms:
  • бросать (brosat) - Opposite of вести мяч, meaning to throw or pass the ball.
  • переставать капать (perestavat kapat) - Meaning to stop dripping, as an antonym for капать.

Related Phrases:

• Вести мяч в атаку - To dribble the ball into attack; used in sports to describe advancing play.
• Капать слюной - To dribble saliva; common in contexts of infants or sleep.
• Капать кровью - To dribble blood; refers to slow bleeding, often in medical or dramatic scenarios.

Usage Notes:

"Dribble" in English often corresponds to "вести мяч" in Russian sports contexts, but English users should note that Russian verbs like this require attention to aspect (imperfective for ongoing actions). For liquid meanings, "капать" is more literal and informal. Choose "вести мяч" for dynamic sports scenarios and "капать" for passive dripping. Be mindful of grammatical gender and case agreements, as "м яч" (ball) is masculine and affects sentence structure.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using "дриблить" (a direct borrowing from English) instead of "вести мяч" in formal Russian. Correct: Вести мяч is more natural and widely used; "дриблить" sounds overly influenced by English and may confuse native speakers.
• Error: Forgetting to conjugate "капать" properly, e.g., saying "Я капать" instead of "Я капаю". Correct: Always use the full conjugation like "Я капаю" for "I am dribbling"; this is a common mistake for beginners due to English's simpler verb forms.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, "вести мяч" is heavily associated with sports like soccer (футбол), which has a massive following in Russia. Terms like this evoke national pride, especially during events like the World Cup. For "капать," it's often used in everyday life or literature to describe mundane or poetic scenes, such as in Russian folktales where dripping water symbolizes persistence or time passing.

Related Concepts:

• обводка
• капля
• футбол
• баскетбол