Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'economise'

English Word: economise

Key Russian Translations:

• экономить /ɪkɐˈnomʲɪtʲ/ - [Informal, Common; used in everyday contexts for saving resources]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in daily conversations about finances and resources, but not as ubiquitous as basic verbs).

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; involves understanding verb conjugations and imperfective aspects, which may challenge beginners).

Pronunciation (Russian):

экономить: /ɪkɐˈnomʲɪtʲ/

Note on экономить: The stress falls on the second syllable ("no"). Be mindful of the palatalized 'т' sound, which can be tricky for English speakers. Variations in regional accents may soften the vowels.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To use money, time, or resources carefully and without waste

Translation(s) & Context:

• экономить - Used in informal and formal settings for personal or professional saving; often in contexts like budgeting or conservation.

Usage Examples:

• Я экономлю на еде, чтобы сэкономить деньги. (Ya ekonomlyu na ede, chtoby sэкономit' den'gi.)

  I am saving on food to economise money.

• Мы должны экономить электричество в доме. (My dolzhny ekonomit' elektrichestvo v dome.)

  We should economise electricity at home.

• Она учит детей экономить время, планируя день заранее. (Ona uchit detey ekonomit' vremya, planiruya den' zaranee.)

  She teaches children to economise time by planning the day in advance.

• В кризисные времена люди учатся экономить ресурсы. (V krizisnye vremena lyudi uchatsya ekonomit' resursy.)

  In times of crisis, people learn to economise resources.

• Компания старается экономить на расходах, чтобы повысить прибыль. (Kompaniya starayetsya ekonomit' na rashodakh, chtoby povysit' pribyl'.)

  The company tries to economise on expenses to increase profit.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

экономить is an imperfective verb in Russian, meaning it describes ongoing or repeated actions. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for first-conjugation verbs. Below is a table of its present tense forms:

Note: The verb has irregular aspects; its perfective counterpart is "сэкономить" (sэкономit'), used for completed actions. It does not change in gender or number in its base form but conjugates fully as shown.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • беречь (berech') - To conserve or save, often with a sense of protection; used more for non-financial resources.
  • сберегать (sberegat') - To preserve or save up, implying long-term storage.
• Antonyms:
  • тратить (tratat') - To spend freely.
  • расходовать (rashodovat') - To expend or use up resources.

Related Phrases:

• экономить деньги (ekonomit' den'gi) - To save money; a common phrase for financial budgeting.
• экономить время (ekonomit' vremya) - To save time; used in productivity contexts.
• экономить ресурсы (ekonomit' resursy) - To economise resources; often in environmental or business discussions.

Usage Notes:

экономить directly corresponds to "economise" as an imperfective verb, emphasizing ongoing actions rather than one-time events. It is versatile across formal and informal contexts but is most common in everyday speech. When choosing between экономить and its perfective form сэкономить, use the former for habitual actions (e.g., "I always economise") and the latter for completed ones (e.g., "I economised last month"). Be aware of grammatical aspects: it requires agreement with the subject in person and number, and it can take direct objects like "money" or "time." For English learners, remember that Russian verbs often require prepositions in phrases, such as "на" (on) in "экономить на еде."

Common Errors:

• Error: Using the perfective form сэкономить when an ongoing action is intended, e.g., saying "Я сэкономил на еде" to mean "I am saving on food" (incorrect for habitual action).

  Correct: Я экономлю на еде. (This uses the imperfective for ongoing saving.)

  Explanation: English speakers often overlook the aspect system; сэкономить implies a finished action, so it should be reserved for completed savings.

• Error: Incorrect conjugation, e.g., saying "Я экономит" instead of "Я экономлю."

  Correct: Я экономлю.

  Explanation: The verb must conjugate based on person; beginners might forget the endings, leading to grammatical errors.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, the concept of "экономить" is deeply tied to historical contexts like the Soviet era, where resource shortages encouraged frugality. Today, it reflects a pragmatic approach to life, often valued in family budgeting or during economic instability, symbolizing resilience and wise management rather than mere stinginess.

Related Concepts:

• бюджет (byudzhet) - Budget
• расходы (rashody) - Expenses
• сбережения (sberezheniya) - Savings