Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'humiliate'

English Word: humiliate

Key Russian Translations:

• унижать [uˈnʲiʐətʲ] - [Informal, Imperfective aspect; used for ongoing or repeated actions]
• унизить [uˈnʲiʐʲɪtʲ] - [Formal or Neutral, Perfective aspect; used for completed actions]

Frequency: Medium (Common in literature, media, and everyday discussions about social interactions, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "сказать").

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb aspects in Russian, which can be challenging for learners beyond A2, with slight variations in difficulty for imperfective vs. perfective forms).

Pronunciation (Russian):

унижать: [uˈnʲiʐətʲ]

Note on унижать: The 'ж' sound is a voiced palatal fricative, similar to the 's' in 'measure' in English; stress on the second syllable. Be cautious with the soft sign (ь) affecting pronunciation.

унизить: [uˈnʲiʐʲɪtʲ]

Note on унизить: Similar to унижать, but with a shorter vowel in the perfective form; stress remains on the second syllable. This verb often involves a shift in vowel quality due to aspectual changes.

Audio: [Insert audio player here, e.g., an embedded HTML5 audio tag with a link to a pronunciation file for унижать and унизить].

Meanings and Usage:

To cause someone to feel ashamed, degraded, or lose dignity

Translation(s) & Context:

• унижать - Used in contexts describing habitual or ongoing humiliation, such as in workplace dynamics or personal relationships (e.g., emotional abuse scenarios).
• унизить - Applied to specific, one-time events of humiliation, like public shaming or a single insulting act.

Usage Examples:

• Он часто унижает своих коллег на собраниях, чтобы показать свою власть.

  He often humiliates his colleagues at meetings to demonstrate his power.

• В школьные годы меня унижали одноклассники из-за моей одежды.

  In my school years, classmates humiliated me because of my clothes.

• Унижать кого-то публично — это не только грубо, но и незаконно в некоторых случаях.

  Humiliating someone publicly is not only rude but also illegal in some cases.

• Она унизила его, раскрывая его секреты перед друзьями.

  She humiliated him by revealing his secrets in front of friends.

• В фильме главный герой унижает врага в кульминационной сцене.

  In the movie, the main hero humiliates the enemy in the climactic scene.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "унижать" (imperfective) and "унизить" (perfective) are first-conjugation verbs in Russian, which means they follow regular patterns but require attention to aspect and conjugation. Russian verbs change based on tense, person, number, and gender in past tense.

Note: These verbs are regular but aspect-specific; learners should choose based on context (imperfective for processes, perfective for results).

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • оскорблять (oskorbljat' – to insult; often implies verbal attack, with a more aggressive connotation than унижать)
  • позорить (pozorit' – to disgrace; used in contexts involving public shame or loss of reputation)
• Antonyms:
  • уважать (uvazhat' – to respect; emphasizes positive regard and dignity)
  • поддерживать (podderzhivat' – to support; counters humiliation by building up someone)

Related Phrases:

• унижать достоинство (unizhat' dostoinstvo) – To humiliate dignity; a phrase used in legal or ethical discussions, meaning to degrade someone's self-respect.
• публично унизить (publichno unizit') – To publicly humiliate; common in media contexts, implying exposure in front of others.
• унижать себя (unizhat' sebya) – To humiliate oneself; refers to self-deprecating behavior, often in psychological contexts.

Usage Notes:

Russian translations of "humiliate" like унижать and унизить are aspectual pairs, so choose унижать for ongoing actions (e.g., "He is humiliating me daily") and унизить for completed ones (e.g., "He humiliated me yesterday"). Be mindful of formal contexts where унизить might be preferred to convey a single event. This verb often carries strong emotional weight in Russian culture, so it's restricted to negative scenarios and rarely used in neutral or positive speech. When learning, compare with English by focusing on verb tense equivalents to avoid awkward translations.

Common Errors:

• Confusing imperfective and perfective aspects: Learners might incorrectly use унижать when a completed action is needed, e.g., saying "Я унижаю его вчера" (wrong) instead of "Я унизил его вчера" (correct). Explanation: Russian requires aspect agreement with the context; imperfective implies ongoing, so always check the timeline.

• Overusing in formal writing: Beginners might use унижать in essays without context, leading to phrases like "Правительство унижает народ" when a more precise verb like оскорблять is better. Correct usage: Ensure the verb fits the intensity; унижать is emotional, so pair with evidence in arguments.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, humiliation (унижение) often ties to historical contexts like the Soviet era, where public shaming was a tool for social control. Words like унижать can evoke sensitivities around personal honor and collective dignity, reflecting Russia's emphasis on respect in interpersonal relationships. This makes such vocabulary particularly useful in understanding Russian literature, such as in works by Dostoevsky, where themes of humiliation explore human psychology.

Related Concepts:

• стыд (styd – shame)
• достоинство (dostoinstvo – dignity)
• оскорбление (oskorblenie – insult)