Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'indigent'

English Word: indigent

Key Russian Translations:

• бедный /ˈbʲednɨj/ - [Formal, Informal]
• нуждающийся /ˈnuʐdəjuɕːij/ - [Formal, Used in official or social welfare contexts]

Frequency: Medium (Common in discussions of poverty, literature, and everyday conversations, but not as frequent as basic adjectives like "good" or "bad")

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate) for 'бедный'; B2 (Upper-Intermediate) for 'нуждающийся' due to more complex inflections and contextual usage

Pronunciation (Russian):

бедный: /ˈbʲednɨj/

Note on бедный: The stress falls on the first syllable (/ˈbʲed-/), and the 'ы' sound is a distinct back vowel, which can be challenging for English speakers. Pronounce it with a soft 'b' as in "beauty".

нуждающийся: /ˈnuʐdəjuɕːij/

Note on нуждающийся: This word has a softer 'zh' sound (/ʐ/), similar to the 's' in "measure", and the ending '-щий' indicates an active participle, which affects pronunciation speed in speech.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Poor or needy (adjective, referring to someone lacking financial resources)

Translation(s) & Context:

• бедный - Used in general, everyday contexts to describe financial hardship, such as in personal stories or literature.
• нуждающийся - Applied in more formal or institutional settings, like social services or legal documents, emphasizing the need for assistance.

Usage Examples:

• Он бедный студент, но упорно учится. (On bednyy student, no uporno uchitsya.)

  He is an indigent student, but he studies hard. (This example shows 'бедный' in a descriptive, sympathetic context.)

• В этой деревне много бедных семей, которые нуждаются в помощи. (V etoy derevne mnogo bednykh semey, kotorye nuzhdayutsya v pomoshchi.)

  In this village, there are many indigent families who need help. (Here, 'бедных' is inflected for plural and illustrates its use in a broader social context.)

• Нуждающийся человек обратился в благотворительный фонд. (Nuzhdayushchiysya chelovek obratilsya v blagotvoritelnyy fond.)

  The indigent person turned to a charity fund. (This demonstrates 'нуждающийся' in a formal, action-oriented sentence.)

• Бедный старик продаёт фрукты на рынке, чтобы выжить. (Bednyy starik prodajot frukty na rynke, chtoby vyzhit.)

  The indigent old man sells fruits at the market to survive. (Example highlights 'бедный' with emotional connotation in a narrative.)

• Правительство предоставляет пособия нуждающимся гражданам. (Pravitelstvo predostavlyayet posobiya nuzhdayushchimsya grazhdanam.)

  The government provides benefits to indigent citizens. (This shows 'нуждающимся' in plural, official usage.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'бедный' and 'нуждающийся' are adjectives, but they follow different inflection patterns in Russian. 'Бедный' is a standard short-form adjective with regular declensions, while 'нуждающийся' is a present active participle and inflects like an adjective but with more complexity.

Note: These words do not change for tense but must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify, which is a common feature of Russian adjectives.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • нищий (nishchiy) - More emphatic, often implies extreme poverty; differs from 'бедный' by connoting destitution.
  • обнищавший (obnishchavshiy) - Suggests someone who has become poor over time, used in historical or narrative contexts.
• Antonyms:
  • богатый (bogatyi) - Wealthy, directly opposite in financial status.
  • зажиточный (zazhitochnyy) - Well-off or prosperous, often used for middle-class contexts.

Related Phrases:

• бедный как церковная мышь (bednyy kak tserkovnaya mysh') - As poor as a church mouse; a idiomatic expression for extreme poverty.
• нуждающийся в помощи (nuzhdayushchiysya v pomoshchi) - In need of assistance; a common phrase in welfare or emergency contexts.
• жить в бедности (zhit v bednosti) - To live in poverty; often used in discussions of social issues.

Usage Notes:

'Бедный' directly corresponds to 'indigent' in everyday English but is more versatile in Russian, fitting both formal and informal settings. Use 'нуждающийся' when emphasizing dependency on aid, as in bureaucratic language. Be cautious with gender and case agreements, as Russian requires adjectives to match nouns exactly. For multiple translations, choose 'бедный' for simplicity in casual speech and 'нуждающийся' for official documents to avoid understatement or exaggeration.

• In positive contexts, 'бедный' can carry sympathy, similar to English's "poor thing," but avoid it in neutral descriptions to prevent emotional bias.
• Grammar note: Always decline these adjectives based on the noun's attributes for grammatical accuracy.

Common Errors:

English learners often misuse 'бедный' by not declining it properly, e.g., saying "бедный люди" instead of the correct "бедные люди" (indigent people, plural). Error: "Я видел бедный человек" (incorrect, as it doesn't agree in case). Correct: "Я видел бедного человека" (I saw an indigent person, with genitive case). This mistake stems from English's lack of declensions, leading to confusion in Russian sentence structure.

• Another error: Confusing 'бедный' with 'нищий', using 'нищий' too casually when 'бедный' is sufficient, which can sound overly dramatic. Explanation: 'Нищий' implies begging or homelessness, so reserve it for extreme cases.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like 'бедный' often evoke themes from literature (e.g., Dostoevsky's portrayals of poverty in 19th-century Russia), reflecting historical struggles with economic inequality. It carries a layer of empathy in everyday use, influenced by the Soviet era's emphasis on social welfare, where 'нуждающийся' might appear in official rhetoric to highlight state support for the disadvantaged.

Related Concepts:

• бедность (bednost') - Poverty
• социальное неравенство (sotsialnoe neravenstvo) - Social inequality
• благотворительность (blagotvoritelnost') - Charity