Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'estrange'

English Word: estrange

Key Russian Translations:

• отчуждать /ɐtʂuˈʐdatʲ/ - [Formal, Verb]
• отдалять /ɐtˈdalʲɪtʲ/ - [Informal, Verb, Used in everyday contexts]
• разобщать /rəzɐbˈʂatʲ/ - [Formal, Verb, Plural contexts]

Frequency: Medium (Common in literary and psychological discussions but not in casual everyday speech).

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and nuanced emotional vocabulary; for 'отчуждать', it's B2; for 'отдалять', it's B1).

Pronunciation (Russian):

отчуждать: /ɐtʂuˈʐdatʲ/

Note on отчуждать: The 'ч' sound is a voiceless palatal fricative, similar to 'ch' in 'loch'; stress on the third syllable can vary in fast speech.

отдалять: /ɐtˈdalʲɪtʲ/

Note on отдалять: The 'я' ending softens the pronunciation; common in imperfective forms.

разобщать: /rəzɐbˈʂatʲ/

Note on разобщать: The 'щ' is a voiceless palatal fricative, often challenging for learners; stress is on the third syllable.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To cause someone to become distant or unfriendly in personal relationships.

Translation(s) & Context:

• отчуждать - Used in formal or psychological contexts to describe emotional alienation in families or friendships.
• отдалять - Applied in informal settings, like drifting apart from friends over time.

Usage Examples:

• Его действия постепенно отчуждают друзей от него.

  His actions gradually estrange his friends from him.

• Эта ситуация начинает отдалять нас друг от друга.

  This situation is starting to estrange us from each other.

• Конфликт в семье может разобщать членов на годы.

  Family conflict can estrange members for years.

• Постоянные разногласия отчуждают коллег в офисе.

  Constant disagreements estrange colleagues in the office.

Meaning 2: To make something feel foreign or disconnected in a broader sense (e.g., cultural or social).

Translation(s) & Context:

• разобщать - Used in social or cultural contexts, such as policies that estrange communities.
• отдалять - In metaphorical uses, like distancing oneself from traditions.

Usage Examples:

• Глобализация иногда разобщает традиции и современность.

  Globalization can sometimes estrange traditions from modernity.

• Экономические изменения отдаляют людей от их корней.

  Economic changes estrange people from their roots.

• Политические решения могут отчуждать граждан от государства.

  Political decisions can estrange citizens from the state.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

These verbs are imperfective and follow standard Russian conjugation patterns for first-conjugation verbs. 'отчуждать' and 'отдалять' are imperfective; 'разобщать' can be used in both aspects but is often imperfective in this context.

Note: These verbs do not have irregular inflections but require attention to aspect (imperfective vs. perfective forms like отчужить for 'отчуждать').

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • отделять (to separate; less emotional connotation)
  • отстранять (to remove or distance; often used in professional contexts)
  • Note: 'отделять' is more neutral and commonly used in everyday speech.
• Antonyms:
  • сблизить (to bring closer)
  • соседить (to unite or connect)

Related Phrases:

• отчуждать от общества - To estrange from society; used in discussions of social isolation.
• отдалять от реальности - To estrange from reality; common in psychological contexts.
• разобщать людей - To estrange people; refers to actions that divide groups.

Usage Notes:

'Estrange' directly corresponds to 'отчуждать' in formal English-Russian translations, emphasizing emotional distance, but 'отдалять' is preferred in casual speech for a milder effect. Be mindful of aspect: use imperfective forms for ongoing actions. In Russian, these verbs often require prepositions like 'от' (from) to specify what is being estranged. Choose 'разобщать' for plural or group contexts to avoid redundancy.

• Context tip: In literary works, 'отчуждать' carries a deeper, more philosophical tone.
• Grammar note: Always conjugate based on subject gender and number in past tense.

Common Errors:

One common mistake is confusing 'отчуждать' with 'отделять'; learners might say "Я отделяю друга" instead of "Я отчуждаю друга" when meaning emotional estrangement, which implies physical separation. Correct usage: "Я отчуждаю друга" vs. Error: "Я отделяю друга" – the latter means "I am separating a friend" physically. Another error is incorrect aspect usage; for example, using perfective 'отчужить' for ongoing actions, like "Я отчужу друзей" when you mean a process, not a completed event.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, concepts like 'отчуждать' often appear in literature (e.g., Dostoevsky's works), reflecting themes of isolation in a vast, communal society. It highlights the tension between individual and collective identity, which is a recurring motif in Russian philosophy and history.

Related Concepts:

• изоляция (isolation)
• отчуждение (alienation)
• социальное дистанцирование (social distancing)