Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'fastidious'

English Word: fastidious

Key Russian Translations:

• привередливый (IPA: prɪvrʲɪˈdʲlivɨj) - [Adjective, Informal; used in everyday contexts to describe someone overly picky or selective]
• требовательный (IPA: trʲɪbəˈtʲeľnɨj) - [Adjective, Formal; often used in professional or academic settings to imply high standards or meticulousness]

Frequency: Medium (commonly encountered in literature, conversations, and media, but not as ubiquitous as basic vocabulary).

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of adjective inflections and nuanced contexts; for "привередливый", it's B2, while "требовательный" might be B1 for simpler forms).

Pronunciation (Russian):

привередливый: [prɪvrʲɪˈdʲlivɨj]

Note on привередливый: The stress is on the third syllable ("dʲlivɨj"), and the "рʲ" sound is a soft rolled 'r', which can be challenging for English speakers. Pronunciation may vary slightly in fast speech.

Audio: []

требовательный: [trʲɪbəˈtʲeľnɨj]

Note on требовательный: The "тʲ" is a soft 't', and the final "ɨj" sound is a softened 'y'. This word often has a more neutral tone in formal contexts.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: Overly picky or selective in tastes (e.g., regarding food, cleanliness, or details)

Translation(s) & Context:

• привередливый - Used in informal, everyday situations, such as describing a child who is fussy about food.
• требовательный - Applied in more formal contexts, like evaluating a perfectionist boss or a demanding project.

Usage Examples:

• Он очень привередливый в еде и никогда не ест ничего острого.

  He is very fastidious about food and never eats anything spicy.

• Её привередливый характер часто приводит к конфликтам в команде.

  Her fastidious nature often leads to conflicts in the team.

• Требовательный преподаватель ожидает от студентов идеальной работы.

  The fastidious teacher expects perfect work from the students.

• Привередливый клиент вернул товар, потому что цвет не идеально совпадал.

  The fastidious customer returned the item because the color didn't match perfectly.

• В её требовательном подходе к дизайну есть что-то вдохновляющее.

  There's something inspiring about her fastidious approach to design.

Meaning 2: Meticulous or exacting in standards (e.g., in work or behavior)

Translation(s) & Context:

• требовательный - Common in professional or educational contexts, emphasizing high expectations.
• привередливый - Less common here, but used informally for personal habits.

Usage Examples:

• Его требовательный стиль управления помогает компании достигать высоких результатов.

  His fastidious management style helps the company achieve high results.

• Привередливый подход к выбору друзей делает её круг общения очень небольшим.

  Her fastidious approach to choosing friends keeps her social circle very small.

• Требовательный редактор всегда возвращает тексты с множеством правок.

  The fastidious editor always returns texts with numerous edits.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "привередливый" and "требовательный" are adjectives in Russian, which inflect for gender, number, and case. Russian adjectives follow standard patterns, but these are regular adjectives without irregularities.

Note: These adjectives do not change in short form or have special verbal aspects, as they are not verbs.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • капризный (capricious; similar to привередливый but implies more unpredictability)
  • взыскательный (exacting; closer to требовательный in formal contexts)
• Antonyms:
  • неприхотливый (unfussy; opposite of привередливый)
  • терпимый (tolerant; contrasts with требовательный)

Related Phrases:

• Привередливый вкус - A fastidious taste (refers to someone with very specific preferences in food or art).
• Требовательный подход - A fastidious approach (used in professional settings for meticulous methods).
• Быть привередливым в выборе - To be fastidious in selection (common in shopping or decision-making contexts).

Usage Notes:

"Fastidious" translates to "привередливый" in informal, everyday English contexts, but "требовательный" is better for formal or professional scenarios where high standards are implied. Be cautious with word choice based on tone: "привередливый" can sound slightly negative or playful, while "требовательный" is more neutral. In Russian, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the nouns they modify, so always inflect accordingly. For example, use "привередливая" for feminine subjects.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using "привередливый" in a formal business context, which might sound too casual. Correct: Opt for "требовательный" instead. Example of error: "Он привередливый менеджер" (sounds informal); Correct: "Он требовательный менеджер" (more professional). Explanation: Russian speakers distinguish nuance in formality, so mismatched tone can confuse the intent.

• Error: Forgetting to inflect the adjective, e.g., saying "привередливый женщина" instead of "привередливая женщина". Correct: Always match gender and case. Explanation: This is a common mistake for English learners due to the lack of agreement in English adjectives.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, being "привередливый" (fastidious) is often associated with personal refinement or eccentricity, as seen in literature like Chekhov's works, where characters' picky habits reflect deeper personality traits. However, "требовательный" aligns with the value placed on precision in education and work, influenced by historical emphasis on discipline in Soviet-era institutions.

Related Concepts:

• капризный
• взыскательный
• идеалистский