Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'impair'

English Word: impair

Key Russian Translations:

• ослабить (/ɐˈslabʲɪtʲ/) - [Formal, Used in contexts of weakening or reducing capacity]
• нарушить (/nɐˈruʂɨtʲ/) - [Formal, Informal, Used when referring to disruption or violation]
• повредить (/pɐvʲˈrʲedʲɪtʲ/) - [Formal, Used in contexts of damaging or harming physically or functionally]

Frequency: Medium (Common in technical, medical, and legal discussions, but not everyday casual speech)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and context, varying by translation—e.g., 'ослабить' may be slightly easier for beginners than 'нарушить')

Pronunciation (Russian):

ослабить: /ɐˈslabʲɪtʲ/

нарушить: /nɐˈruʂɨtʲ/ (Note on нарушить: The 'ш' sound is a voiceless postalveolar fricative, which can be challenging for English speakers; practice with native audio for accuracy)

повредить: /pɐvʲˈrʲedʲɪtʲ/ (Note on повредить: Pay attention to the palatalized 'дʲ' which softens the pronunciation; common in spoken Russian)

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: To weaken or damage something, often in a functional or health-related context

Translation(s) & Context:

• ослабить - Used in abstract or health contexts, such as impairing cognitive function; common in formal writing or medical discussions.
• нарушить - Applied when impairing rules, systems, or routines; suitable for legal or social scenarios.
• повредить - Employed for physical impairment, like damaging an object; often in everyday or technical language.

Usage Examples:

• Эта болезнь может ослабить иммунную систему. (This illness can impair the immune system.)

  English: This illness can weaken the immune system.

• Авария нарушила работу завода на несколько дней. (The accident impaired the factory's operations for several days.)

  English: The accident disrupted the factory's operations for several days.

• Курение повредило его лёгкие, что привело к хроническим проблемам. (Smoking impaired his lungs, leading to chronic issues.)

  English: Smoking damaged his lungs, leading to chronic issues.

• Стресс часто ослабляет способность человека сосредоточиться. (Stress often impairs a person's ability to concentrate.)

  English: Stress often weakens a person's ability to concentrate.

• Злоупотребление алкоголем может нарушить координацию движений. (Alcohol abuse can impair coordination of movements.)

  English: Alcohol abuse can disrupt coordination of movements.

Secondary Meaning: To diminish quality or performance

Translation(s) & Context:

• ослабить - In contexts of reducing efficiency, such as in business or sports.
• повредить - When quality is tangibly harmed, like in manufacturing.

Usage Examples:

• Длительная усталость ослабляет производительность труда. (Prolonged fatigue impairs work productivity.)

  English: Prolonged fatigue diminishes work productivity.

• Плохое освещение повредило качество съёмки фильма. (Poor lighting impaired the quality of the film shooting.)

  English: Poor lighting damaged the quality of the film shooting.

• Экономический кризис нарушил планы компании на расширение. (The economic crisis impaired the company's expansion plans.)

  English: The economic crisis disrupted the company's expansion plans.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

All key translations are verbs, which follow standard Russian conjugation patterns. Russian verbs are conjugated based on tense, aspect, mood, person, and number. These verbs are imperfective, meaning they describe ongoing or incomplete actions.

For ослабить (to weaken):

For нарушить and повредить, similar patterns apply, with irregular aspects in past tense gender agreement (e.g., ослабил for masculine, ослабила for feminine). These verbs do not change in infinitive form but inflect regularly.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • ослабить: уменьшить (reduce) - More neutral, used for quantitative decrease.
  • нарушить: нарушать (disrupt) - Similar but can imply ongoing action.
  • повредить: испортить (spoil) - Often used interchangeably in physical contexts.
• Antonyms:
  • укрепить (strengthen)
  • восстановить (restore)
  • улучшить (improve)

Related Phrases:

• Ослабить контроль (To loosen control) - Refers to reducing oversight in management or governance.
• Нарушить равновесие (To impair balance) - Used in contexts like ecology or personal well-being, meaning to disrupt equilibrium.
• Повредить репутацию (To damage reputation) - Common in social or professional settings, implying harm to one's image.

Usage Notes:

• Choose 'ослабить' when the impairment is gradual or abstract, as it aligns closely with 'impair' in English for weakening without destruction.
• 'Нарушить' is ideal for contexts involving rules or systems, but be cautious of its formal tone; it's less common in casual speech.
• Aspect in Russian is key: these are perfective verbs, so they imply completion, unlike some English uses of 'impair' which can be ongoing.
• Grammar note: Always conjugate based on subject gender and number to avoid errors in agreement.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using 'ослабить' interchangeably with 'повредить' in physical contexts. Incorrect: "Я ослабил машину" (implying weakening when damage is meant). Correct: "Я повредил машину." Explanation: 'Ослабить' suggests weakening, not physical harm.
• Error: Forgetting gender agreement in past tense. Incorrect: "Она ослабил систему" (using masculine form). Correct: "Она ослабила систему." Explanation: Russian past tense verbs agree with the subject's gender.
• Error: Overusing 'нарушить' in non-legal contexts. Incorrect: "Это нарушило мой день" (sounds overly dramatic). Correct: "Это испортило мой день." Explanation: Opt for synonyms based on context to sound natural.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like 'нарушить' often carry implications of authority or order, stemming from historical contexts like Soviet-era regulations. For instance, impairing social norms might evoke themes from Russian literature, such as in Dostoevsky's works, where disruption of personal or societal balance is a common motif.

Related Concepts:

• укрепление (strengthening)
• восстановление (restoration)
• повреждение (damage)