Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'justify'

English Word: justify

Key Russian Translations:

• оправдывать [ɐprəvdɨˈvatʲ] - [Formal, Verb]
• обосновывать [ɐbɐsˈnəvɨvatʲ] - [Formal, Verb, Used in academic or legal contexts]

Frequency: Medium (Common in everyday discussions, essays, and professional settings, but not as ubiquitous as basic verbs like "to be").

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate, based on CEFR; requires understanding of verb conjugations and contextual usage. For 'оправдывать', it's B1; for 'обосновывать', it's B2 due to more nuanced applications.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

оправдывать: [ɐprəvdɨˈvatʲ] (Stress on the third syllable; the 'ы' sound is a subtle, centralized vowel, often challenging for English speakers.)

Note on оправдывать: The 'в' can soften to [vʲ] in some dialects, especially in rapid speech. Pay attention to the imperfective aspect, which implies ongoing action.

обосновывать: [ɐbɐsˈnəvɨvatʲ] (Stress on the third syllable; the initial 'о' is pronounced as a short [ɐ], similar to the 'u' in "but".)

Note on обосновывать: This word often involves a more emphatic pronunciation in formal settings, with clear articulation of consonants.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To provide a valid reason or defense for something (e.g., actions, decisions).

Translation(s) & Context:

• оправдывать - Used in personal or ethical contexts, such as defending one's behavior in conversations or arguments.
• обосновывать - Applied in factual or evidence-based scenarios, like in research or legal justifications.

Usage Examples:

• Он всегда оправдывает свои опоздания плохой погодой. (He always justifies his lateness with bad weather.)

  He always justifies his lateness with bad weather.

• В суде адвокат обосновывает невиновность клиента. (In court, the lawyer justifies the client's innocence with evidence.)

  In court, the lawyer justifies the client's innocence with evidence.

• Молодой человек оправдывает свои поступки, ссылаясь на детские травмы. (The young man justifies his actions by referring to childhood traumas.)

  The young man justifies his actions by referring to childhood traumas.

• Ученые обосновывают теорию новыми данными. (Scientists justify the theory with new data.)

  Scientists justify the theory with new data.

• Она оправдывает свое решение уйти, объясняя стресс на работе. (She justifies her decision to leave by explaining work-related stress.)

  She justifies her decision to leave by explaining work-related stress.

Meaning 2: To align or format text (e.g., in typography or computing).

Translation(s) & Context:

• обосновывать - Less common, but used metaphorically in design contexts to mean justifying layout.

Usage Examples:

• В графическом редакторе можно обосновывать текст по ширине. (In the graphic editor, you can justify text to the width.)

  In the graphic editor, you can justify text to the width.

• Дизайнер обосновывает заголовки для лучшей читаемости. (The designer justifies the headings for better readability.)

  The designer justifies the headings for better readability.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'оправдывать' and 'обосновывать' are imperfective verbs in Russian, which means they describe ongoing or repeated actions. They follow standard first-conjugation patterns but have irregularities in certain forms due to their roots.

Note: These verbs are irregular in that they do not change in all aspects like perfective verbs (e.g., оправдать). For 'оправдывать', the stem change in present tense is standard.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • защищать (to defend; similar to оправдывать but more protective)
  • объяснять (to explain; less formal than обосновывать)
• Antonyms:
  • осуждать (to condemn)
  • опровергать (to refute)

Related Phrases:

• Оправдывать ожидания (To justify expectations) - Means meeting or fulfilling what is anticipated.
• Обосновывать решение (To justify a decision) - Refers to providing evidence for a choice in professional contexts.
• Не оправдывать себя (Not to justify oneself) - A phrase used to admit fault without excuses.

Usage Notes:

'Оправдывать' is the most direct equivalent to 'justify' in everyday English, especially for moral or personal defense, while 'обосновывать' is better for factual or logical justification. Be mindful of the aspect: Russian verbs have imperfective (ongoing) and perfective (completed) forms, so pair these with appropriate contexts. In formal writing, 'обосновывать' is preferred for academic papers, whereas 'оправдывать' suits conversational English-Russian translation. Choose based on whether the action is habitual or one-time.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using 'оправдывать' in formal contexts where evidence is needed, e.g., saying "Я оправдываю теорию" instead of "Я обосновываю теорию".
  Correct: "Я обосновываю теорию" (I justify the theory with evidence).
  Explanation: 'Оправдывать' implies emotional defense, not factual support, leading to confusion in professional settings.
• Mistake: Forgetting verb conjugation, e.g., using infinitive form incorrectly in sentences.
  Correct: Instead of "Он оправдывать действия", say "Он оправдывает действия".
  Explanation: Russian verbs must agree with subject in person and number, unlike English infinitives.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, 'оправдывать' often carries a connotation of self-defense or excuse-making, which can be seen as evasive in interpersonal communication. Historically, during Soviet times, phrases like 'обосновывать' were prevalent in official rhetoric to legitimize policies, reflecting a cultural emphasis on logical argumentation in public discourse.

Related Concepts:

• защищать
• объяснять
• осуждать