Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'gosling'

English Word: gosling

Key Russian Translations:

• гусят [ˈɡusʲɪtə] - [Informal, Plural; commonly used in everyday contexts like animal descriptions]
• птенец гуся [ˈptʲenʲɪts ɡuˈsʲa] - [Formal; used in educational or scientific settings for precision]

Frequency: Low (This word and its translations are not frequently encountered in everyday Russian conversation, appearing more in literature, wildlife discussions, or educational materials.)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; involves basic animal vocabulary and plural forms, but requires understanding of noun inflections. For 'гусят', B1; for 'птенец гуся', B2 due to compound structure.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

гусят: [ˈɡusʲɪtə]

птенец гуся: [ˈptʲenʲɪts ɡuˈsʲa]

Note on гусят: The stress is on the first syllable, and the 'ы' sound can be tricky for English speakers, as it resembles a short 'i' in "bit" but with a more centralized tongue position. Variations may occur in dialects.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: A young goose, typically referring to a baby or juvenile bird of the goose species.

Translation(s) & Context:

• 'гусят' - Used in informal, descriptive contexts, such as storytelling or casual nature observations.
• 'птенец гуся' - Employed in formal or educational contexts, like biology texts, to specify the young of a goose with greater precision.

Usage Examples:

• В пруду плавают гусят, весело крякая. (In the pond, goslings are swimming, quacking cheerfully.)

  Translation: In the pond, goslings are swimming, quacking cheerfully. (This example shows 'гусят' in a plural, everyday scene, demonstrating nominative case usage.)

• Фермер заботливо кормит птенца гуся в утренние часы. (The farmer carefully feeds the gosling in the early morning hours.)

  Translation: The farmer carefully feeds the gosling in the early morning hours. (Here, 'птенец гуся' is used in a singular, formal context, highlighting care and routine.)

• Дети наблюдали, как гусята учатся летать в осеннем небе. (The children watched as goslings learned to fly in the autumn sky.)

  Translation: The children watched as goslings learned to fly in the autumn sky. (This illustrates 'гусята' in a dynamic, plural action, showing verb integration.)

• В зоопарке ученые изучают поведение птенцов гусей в их естественной среде. (In the zoo, scientists study the behavior of goose goslings in their natural habitat.)

  Translation: In the zoo, scientists study the behavior of goose goslings in their natural habitat. (This example uses 'птенцов гусей' in genitive plural, emphasizing scientific observation.)

• Гусята бегают за матерью по полю, избегая хищников. (The goslings run after their mother across the field, avoiding predators.)

  Translation: The goslings run after their mother across the field, avoiding predators. (Demonstrates 'гусята' in a narrative context with motion verbs.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

'Гусята' is a plural noun form of 'гусят', which is already in its base plural state. It belongs to the third declension and follows standard Russian noun inflections for masculine nouns ending in a consonant.

For 'птенец гуся', it is a compound phrase: 'птенец' (young animal) inflects as a masculine noun, while 'гуся' is the genitive form of 'гусь'. It does not have unique inflections but follows the rules of its components.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • молодой гусь (young goose; more descriptive, used interchangeably in informal speech)
  • птенец гусиный (goose chick; emphasizes youth, with subtle difference in implying very early stages)
• Antonyms:
  • взрослый гусь (adult goose; directly contrasts by indicating maturity)

Related Phrases:

• Гусята в стае (Goslings in a flock; refers to a group of young geese, often in migration contexts.)
• Птенец гуся на ферме (Goose gosling on the farm; used for agricultural or domestic animal scenarios.)
• Маленькие гусята бегают (Little goslings are running; a common phrase in children's stories or observations.)

Usage Notes:

• While 'gosling' directly translates to 'гусята' or 'птенец гуся', Russian often prefers compound phrases for specificity, especially in formal writing. Choose 'гусята' for casual, plural references and 'птенец гуся' for singular or technical uses.
• Be mindful of gender and number agreements; Russian nouns like 'гусята' require adjectives and verbs to match in gender (neuter plural) and case.
• In spoken Russian, 'гусята' may carry a diminutive or affectionate tone, similar to how English uses 'little goslings'.
• Avoid direct word-for-word translation; integrate into full sentences to capture nuances, as Russian syntax differs from English.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using 'гусь' alone to mean 'gosling', which actually means 'goose' (adult). Correct: 'Гусята' for young ones. Explanation: This confuses age stages; always specify with diminutives or compounds for accuracy.
• Error: Incorrect inflection, e.g., saying 'гусят' in genitive as 'гусят' instead of 'гусят'. Correct: 'гусят' (nominative plural) vs. 'гусят' in other cases like genitive. Explanation: Russian requires case agreement, so learners must check sentence structure to avoid grammatical errors.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, goslings and geese are often symbols of rural life, as seen in folk tales and proverbs like "Гуси-лебеди" (Geese-Swans), a popular fairy tale where goslings represent innocence and adventure. This reflects Russia's agrarian heritage and the importance of wildlife in storytelling.

Related Concepts:

• гуси (geese)
• птицы (birds)
• ферма (farm)