Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'kidnap'

English Word: kidnap

Key Russian Translations:

• похищать [pɐˈxʲiʂʲatʲ] - [Informal, Verb, Imperfective aspect for ongoing actions]
• похитить [pɐˈxʲitʲitʲ] - [Formal, Verb, Perfective aspect for completed actions]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in news, legal, or crime-related contexts, but not in everyday casual conversation)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate, due to the need to understand Russian verb aspects; for похищать: B2, for похиитить: B2)

Pronunciation (Russian):

похищать: [pɐˈxʲiʂʲatʲ]

похитить: [pɐˈxʲitʲitʲ]

Note on похищать: The 'щ' sound is a soft, hissing 'sh' similar to English 'sh' in 'shoe', but pay attention to the stress on the second syllable. For похищать, it's straightforward but can vary slightly in fast speech.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To take someone away illegally by force, often for ransom or other motives

Translation(s) & Context:

• похищать - Used in contexts describing ongoing or repeated actions, such as in police reports or narratives (e.g., "They are kidnapping people regularly").
• похитить - Used for a single, completed event, such as in headlines or formal statements (e.g., "The criminal kidnapped the child last night").

Usage Examples:

• Преступники похищают людей в крупных городах для получения выкупа.

  Criminals kidnap people in major cities to obtain ransom. (This example shows похищать in a general, ongoing context.)

• Группа злоумышленников похитила бизнесмена и потребовала миллион долларов.

  A group of criminals kidnapped the businessman and demanded a million dollars. (Here, похитить is used for a specific, completed action in a formal report.)

• В романе описывается, как шпионы похищают важные документы.

  In the novel, spies kidnap important documents. (This demonstrates похищать in a literary or metaphorical context, though typically used for people.)

• Полиция расследует случай, когда похитили ребенка из школы.

  The police are investigating the case where a child was kidnapped from school. (Shows похитить in a news or investigative context.)

• В исторических фильмах часто показывают, как пираты похищают моряков.

  In historical films, pirates often kidnap sailors. (Illustrates похищать in a narrative or fictional setting with repeated actions.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "похищать" and "похитить" are verbs, with "похищать" being imperfective and "похитить" perfective. Russian verbs change based on tense, aspect, person, number, and gender. These verbs follow the first conjugation pattern with some irregularities.

Note: These verbs are irregular in their past tense forms due to the stem changes, and they agree in gender and number in the past tense.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • увести (to lead away, less formal and often used for animals or objects)
  • захватить (to capture, implying seizure in a broader context, e.g., military)
• Antonyms:
  • освободить (to free or release)
  • вернуть (to return, in the context of restoring someone to safety)

Related Phrases:

• похищение человека - Kidnapping of a person (commonly used in legal contexts to denote the crime).
• похитить для выкупа - To kidnap for ransom (a fixed phrase in crime narratives, emphasizing motive).
• международное похищение - International kidnapping (refers to cross-border incidents, often in diplomatic discussions).

Usage Notes:

In Russian, the choice between "похищать" (imperfective) and "похитить" (perfective) is crucial and mirrors English tense distinctions but more rigidly. Use "похищать" for habitual or ongoing actions, and "похитить" for one-time events. Be aware of formal contexts where perfective forms are preferred. This verb often pairs with direct objects in the accusative case, e.g., "похитить человека." English speakers may overlook aspect differences, so practice with native sentences to grasp nuances.

• Always consider the aspect when translating; "kidnap" as a general verb leans towards imperfective in descriptive texts.
• In informal speech, synonyms like "увести" might be used, but they carry different connotations.

Common Errors:

One common mistake is confusing the imperfective and perfective aspects. For example, English learners might say "Я похищать ребенка" instead of the correct "Я похищаю ребенка" (present imperfective) or "Я похитил ребенка" (past perfective). Error: Using "похищать" in a completed action context, e.g., "Вчера я похищать" (incorrect). Correct: "Вчера я похитил" (I kidnapped yesterday). This happens because English doesn't distinguish aspects as strictly, leading to mismatched tense usage.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture and media, terms like "похищение" often appear in discussions of historical events, such as Soviet-era abductions or modern-day issues in regions like the Caucasus. It carries a strong negative connotation, evoking themes of crime and injustice, and is frequently linked to real-world cases in news, reflecting Russia's complex history with political and criminal kidnappings.

Related Concepts:

• заложник (hostage)
• терроризм (terrorism)
• преступление (crime)