Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'masculine'

English Word: masculine

Key Russian Translations:

• мужской /muʒskoj/ - [Formal, Grammatical context]
• мужской пол /muʒskoj pol/ - [Informal, Biological or social gender context]

Frequency: Medium (Common in linguistic and everyday discussions of gender, but not as frequent as basic vocabulary).

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of Russian grammar and gender systems, which may vary from English).

Pronunciation (Russian):

мужской: /muʒskoj/ (The "ж" sound is a voiced palatal fricative, similar to the "s" in "measure" in English.)

мужской пол: /muʒskoj pol/ (Emphasize the stress on the first syllable of "мужской".)

Note on мужской: Be cautious with the soft sign (ь) in inflected forms, which affects pronunciation subtly.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Grammatical gender

Translation(s) & Context:

• мужской - Used in linguistic contexts to describe nouns that belong to the masculine gender in Russian grammar, often affecting adjective agreement and verb forms.
• мужской пол - Refers to biological or social masculinity, but in a grammatical sense, it highlights gender-specific rules in sentences.

Usage Examples:

• В русском языке слово "стол" относится к мужскому роду.

  In the Russian language, the word "table" belongs to the masculine gender.

• Мужской род часто требует специальных окончаний в прилагательных, например, "большой стол".

  The masculine gender often requires specific endings in adjectives, for example, "big table".

• В предложении "Мой друг — мужчина", "мужской" подразумевается через контекст.

  In the sentence "My friend is a man", "masculine" is implied through context in Russian grammar.

• Изучение мужского рода помогает в освоении русского языка для иностранцев.

  Studying the masculine gender helps foreigners master the Russian language.

• В песнях и литературе мужской род используется для описания героев.

  In songs and literature, the masculine gender is used to describe heroes.

Biological or social gender

Translation(s) & Context:

• мужской - Applied in everyday contexts to denote male characteristics, but must align with grammatical rules if used in sentences.

Usage Examples:

• Этот костюм предназначен для мужского гардероба.

  This suit is intended for a masculine wardrobe.

• Мужской пол имеет свои особенности в обществе.

  The masculine gender has its own characteristics in society.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

The primary translation "мужской" is an adjective, which follows standard Russian adjective declension patterns. It is invariable in some contexts but changes based on gender, number, and case. "мужской пол" is a noun phrase where "пол" (gender) is a masculine noun.

For "мужской пол", "пол" is a masculine noun with standard inflections, e.g., Genitive: мужского пола.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • мужской (no direct synonyms, but "мужской тип" for a variant in informal contexts)
  • мужской род (synonymous in grammatical discussions)
• Antonyms:
  • женский (feminine)
  • женский род (feminine gender)

Related Phrases:

• мужской род — Refers to the grammatical category in Russian nouns.
• мужской гардероб — Common phrase for men's clothing or wardrobe.
• типично мужской — Means "typically masculine" in cultural or behavioral contexts.

Usage Notes:

In Russian, "мужской" directly corresponds to the English "masculine" in both grammatical and social senses, but English learners should note that Russian nouns have inherent genders that affect sentence structure. For instance, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Use "мужской" in formal contexts like grammar lessons, and prefer "мужской пол" for discussions of biology or society. When choosing between translations, opt for "мужской" in linguistic settings and "мужской пол" for everyday gender references to ensure precision.

Common Errors:

• Error: Treating "мужской" as invariable, e.g., saying "большой мужской" instead of correctly inflecting it as "большой мужской" in nominative, but forgetting changes in other cases like "большого мужского".

  Correct: Use proper declension, e.g., "Я видел большой мужской стол" (I saw a big masculine table, with agreement).

  Explanation: Russian adjectives must agree with nouns, unlike English, so learners often overlook case endings.

• Error: Confusing "мужской" with "мужчина" (man), leading to misuse in sentences like "Это мужской" instead of "Это мужской род".

  Correct: Specify the context, e.g., "Это мужской род в грамматике".

  Explanation: "Мужской" is an adjective, not a noun, so it needs a noun to modify for clarity.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, the concept of "masculine" (мужской) extends beyond grammar to traditional gender roles, often influenced by historical contexts like Soviet-era expectations of men as providers. This can add nuanced connotations in literature or media, where "мужской" might imply strength or stoicism, helping English users appreciate the cultural depth in Russian communication.

Related Concepts:

• женский род (feminine gender)
• средний род (neuter gender)
• падежи (cases)