Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'mill'

English Word: mill

Key Russian Translations:

• мельница [mʲɪlʲˈnʲit͡sə] - [Noun, Feminine, Singular; Used in general contexts for a grinding mill or factory]
• фабрика [ˈfabrʲɪkə] - [Noun, Feminine; Informal, Plural forms possible; Used when referring to an industrial mill or factory]

Frequency: Medium (Common in everyday language, especially in contexts like agriculture or industry, but not as frequent as basic vocabulary).

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; Requires understanding of Russian noun declensions and basic vocabulary; For 'мельница', it's straightforward, but 'фабрика' may vary by context).

Pronunciation (Russian):

мельница: [mʲɪlʲˈnʲit͡sə]

Note on мельница: The 'лʲ' sound is a soft 'l', which can be challenging for English speakers; emphasize the stress on the third syllable. Variations in regional accents may soften the vowels.

фабрика: [ˈfabrʲɪkə]

Note on фабрика: The initial stress is key; the 'рʲ' is a rolled 'r' with palatalization, common in Russian but less so in English phonetics.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: A building or machine used for grinding grain or other materials.

Translation(s) & Context:

• мельница - Typically used in rural or historical contexts, such as describing traditional grain processing; common in literature or everyday conversation about agriculture.
• фабрика - Applied in modern industrial contexts, like a textile or manufacturing mill; often implies a larger-scale operation.

Usage Examples:

• В деревне есть старая мельница, где мололи зерно.

  In the village, there is an old mill where they used to grind grain.

• Мельница работает круглосуточно, перерабатывая пшеницу в муку.

  The mill operates around the clock, processing wheat into flour.

• Фабрика по производству текстиля напоминает большую мельницу из прошлого века.

  The textile factory resembles a large mill from the last century.

• Дети посетили музей, где показывают, как работает водяная мельница.

  The children visited a museum where they demonstrate how a water mill works.

• В промышленном районе стоит огромная фабрика, которая молотит сырье для экспорта.

  In the industrial district, there stands a huge factory that mills raw materials for export.

Meaning 2: To grind or process something, as a verb (e.g., to mill grain).

Translation(s) & Context:

• молоть - Used in verbal contexts for the action of grinding; informal and common in daily speech or recipes.

Usage Examples:

• Нужно молоть кофе, чтобы приготовить свежий эспрессо.

  You need to mill the coffee to make fresh espresso.

• В старину люди мололи зерно вручную в своей мельнице.

  In the old days, people used to mill grain by hand in their mill.

• Машина может молоть специи в мелкий порошок за минуты.

  The machine can mill spices into a fine powder in minutes.

• Фабрика молотит тысячи тонн металла ежедневно.

  The factory mills thousands of tons of metal every day.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For 'мельница' (feminine noun, 1st declension):

Note: It follows regular feminine patterns with no irregularities. For 'фабрика' (also feminine), it has similar inflections. For the verb 'молоть', it is irregular: Present: молю, молишь, молет; Past: молол, молола; Future: буду молоть.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms: завод (factory sense, more general); помол (grinding action, specific to milling grain)
• Antonyms: ручная работа (handwork, implying non-mechanized processes); остановка (stoppage, for operational antonym)

Related Phrases:

• Водяная мельница - A water mill; Refers to a mill powered by water, common in historical Russian contexts.
• Молоть муку - To mill flour; A phrase used in baking or agriculture to describe the grinding process.
• Фабрика по переработке - Processing factory; Often used for industrial mills in modern settings.

Usage Notes:

'Mill' translates variably in Russian based on context: 'мельница' is ideal for traditional or agricultural uses, while 'фабрика' suits industrial ones. Always consider the gender of nouns (feminine here) for accurate declension. In formal writing, pair with prepositions like 'в мельнице' (in the mill). For verbs like 'молоть', note its imperfective aspect, which emphasizes ongoing action—use 'смолоть' for perfective if needed. Choose translations based on regional dialects; 'мельница' is more universal in European Russia.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using 'мельница' interchangeably with 'фабрика' without context, e.g., saying "Я работаю в мельнице" when meaning a modern factory. Correct: Use 'фабрика' for industrial settings. Explanation: This confuses scale and purpose, leading to misunderstandings in professional contexts.
• Error: Incorrectly inflecting 'мельница', e.g., saying "Я видел мельницу" as "Я видел мельниц" in accusative. Correct: "Я видел мельницу". Explanation: Russian nouns must match case; practice declensions to avoid this.
• Error: Mispronouncing the soft 'лʲ' in 'мельница' as a hard 'l'. Correct: Listen to native audio and focus on palatalization. Explanation: This can make the word sound unnatural or lead to confusion with similar words.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, 'мельница' often evokes images of rural life and folklore, as seen in fairy tales like those by Pushkin, where mills symbolize transformation or magic. Historically, windmills and water mills were central to Russian agriculture, reflecting the country's agrarian past and influencing literature and art.

Related Concepts:

• зерно (grain)
• мука (flour)
• промышленность (industry)