Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'hasten'

English Word: hasten

Key Russian Translations:

• спеши́ть [spʲɪˈʂɨtʲ] - [Informal, commonly used in everyday contexts for personal urgency]
• ускоря́ть [ʊskɐˈrʲætʲ] - [Formal, often in technical or professional settings]
• торопи́ть [tɐrɐˈpʲitʲ] - [Informal, specifically for urging others]

Frequency: Medium (This verb and its translations are encountered regularly in both spoken and written Russian, but not as common as basic daily verbs.)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and context-specific usage. For 'спеши́ть', it may be A2 for beginners, but 'ускоря́ть' leans towards B1 due to its formal connotations.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

спеши́ть: [spʲɪˈʂɨtʲ]

ускоря́ть: [ʊskɐˈrʲætʲ]

торопи́ть: [tɐrɐˈpʲitʲ]

Note on спеши́ть: The 'ш' sound is a voiceless postalveolar fricative, which can be challenging for English speakers; it sounds like 'sh' in 'she', but with a sharper edge. Stress is on the second syllable.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To speed up or make something happen faster

Translation(s) & Context:

• ускоря́ть - Used in formal or technical contexts, such as in business or science, to describe accelerating processes.
• спеши́ть - Informal, for personal haste in daily life, like rushing to an appointment.

Usage Examples:

• Я должен спеши́ть на встречу, чтобы не опоздать.

  I must hasten to the meeting so I won't be late.

• Эта машина ускоря́ет процесс обработки данных.

  This machine hastens the data processing procedure.

• Не торопи́те меня, я стараюсь сделать всё быстро.

  Don't hasten me; I'm trying to do everything quickly.

• Врачи ускоря́ют выздоровление пациентов с помощью новых технологий.

  Doctors hasten patients' recovery using new technologies.

To urge or prompt someone to act quickly

Translation(s) & Context:

• торопи́ть - Informal, often in interpersonal interactions to encourage speed.
• спеши́ть - When self-referential, in contexts of personal motivation.

Usage Examples:

• Родители торопи́ли детей, чтобы они поспешили на школьный автобус.

  The parents hastened the children to catch the school bus.

• Я спеши́л друга, но он всё равно опоздал.

  I hastened my friend, but he was still late.

• Менеджер торопи́т команду, чтобы проект был сдан вовремя.

  The manager is hastening the team to meet the project deadline.

• В чрезвычайной ситуации полиция ускоря́ет эвакуацию.

  In an emergency, the police hasten the evacuation.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

These translations are primarily verbs, which in Russian undergo conjugation based on tense, aspect, person, and number. Russian verbs have imperfective and perfective aspects; for 'hasten', the imperfective forms are more common for ongoing actions.

For спеши́ть (imperfective):

For ускоря́ть and торопи́ть, similar conjugation patterns apply, but they are more regular. Note: These verbs do not change in gender or number in the past tense like some others.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • поспеши́ть (pospeshít') - Similar to 'спеши́ть', but often implies a perfective action; used for quicker, one-time haste.
  • уско́рить (uskorít') - A perfective synonym for 'ускоря́ть', emphasizing completion.
  • спешно де́йствовать (speshno déystvovat') - Phrase for urgent action, slightly more formal.
• Antonyms:
  • медли́ть (medlít') - To delay or procrastinate.
  • замедля́ть (zamedlját') - To slow down.

Related Phrases:

• Спешно собра́ться - To hasten to get ready; used for quickly preparing in urgent situations.
• Ускори́ть tempo - To hasten the pace; common in music or workflow contexts.
• Торопи́ть собы́тия - To hasten events; implies forcing things to happen prematurely, often with a negative connotation.

Usage Notes:

'Hasten' corresponds most directly to 'спеши́ть' in informal, everyday Russian, but 'ускоря́ть' is preferable in formal or technical English-to-Russian translations. Be mindful of aspect: use imperfective forms like 'спеши́ть' for ongoing actions and perfective forms for completed ones. In spoken Russian, these verbs often appear in imperative forms to give commands, e.g., 'Спешите!' for 'Hasten!'. Choose based on context: informal for personal interactions, formal for professional ones.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using 'спеши́ть' in formal writing, e.g., saying 'Я спеши́л проект' instead of 'Я ускоря́л проект'.
  Correct: 'ускоря́ть' for formal contexts to avoid sounding too casual.
  Explanation: 'Спеши́ть' implies personal haste, which may undermine professionalism.
• Mistake: Incorrect conjugation, e.g., saying 'Я спеши́т' instead of 'Я спеши́ю'.
  Correct: 'Я спеши́ю' (I hasten).
  Explanation: Russian verbs must agree with subject in person and number; English speakers often overlook this due to simpler verb forms.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, 'hastening' or 'спеши́ть' often reflects the fast-paced urban life in cities like Moscow, where punctuality is valued, but there's also a cultural nuance of 'Russian time' – a relaxed attitude towards schedules in social settings, making verbs like 'торопи́ть' useful for gently urging without offense.

Related Concepts:

• пунктуа́льность (punctuality)
• сро́чность (urgency)
• задержка (delay)