Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'mishap'

English Word: mishap

Key Russian Translations:

• несчастье [nʲɪˈʂastʲjɪ] - [Formal, often used for more serious misfortunes]
• неприятность [nʲɪprʲɪˈjatnəsʲtʲ] - [Informal, commonly for minor everyday incidents]

Frequency: Medium (This word and its translations appear regularly in literature, news, and casual conversation, but not as frequently as basic vocabulary.)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate level, per CEFR; learners should be familiar with noun declensions and basic context usage. For 'несчастье', it may be slightly harder due to its emotional connotations, while 'неприятность' is more straightforward.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

несчастье: [nʲɪˈʂastʲjɪ]

Note on несчастье: The 'щ' sound (as in [ʂ]) is a soft, hissing fricative that can be challenging for English speakers; it's similar to 'sh' in 'she' but more palatalized. Stress falls on the second syllable.

неприятность: [nʲɪprʲɪˈjatnəsʲtʲ]

Note on неприятность: Pay attention to the soft 'ть' ending; it's pronounced lightly, and the word has stress on the third syllable, which affects vowel reduction in spoken Russian.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary meaning: An unlucky or unfortunate accident or event, often minor but sometimes significant.

Translation(s) & Context:

• 'несчастье' in contexts involving more emotional or serious mishaps, such as personal tragedies (e.g., in formal writing or storytelling).
• 'неприятность' in everyday, informal situations, like a small inconvenience (e.g., in casual conversations).

Usage Examples:

• Вчера я столкнулся с небольшим несчастьем: упал и сломал очки.

  Yesterday, I encountered a small mishap: I fell and broke my glasses.

• Эта неприятность с задержкой поезда испортила весь наш план поездки.

  This mishap with the train delay ruined our entire trip plan.

• Несчастье не приходит одно: после потери работы у него начались финансовые проблемы.

  Misfortune never comes alone: after losing his job, he faced financial issues.

• Такая мелкая неприятность, как проливной дождь, не должна помешать нашей прогулке.

  Such a minor mishap as heavy rain shouldn't ruin our walk.

• В детстве каждое несчастье казалось концом света, но со временем мы учимся преодолевать их.

  In childhood, every mishap felt like the end of the world, but over time, we learn to overcome them.

Secondary meaning: A sequence of bad luck or a string of unfortunate events.

Translation(s) & Context:

• 'несчастье' in narrative contexts, emphasizing a chain of events (e.g., in literature or dramatic speech).
• 'неприятность' less commonly for this, but possible in informal retellings of daily woes.

Usage Examples:

• Цепь несчастий в его жизни заставила его пересмотреть все ценности.

  A string of mishaps in his life forced him to reevaluate all his values.

• После этой неприятности за неприятностью, он решил взять отпуск.

  After one mishap after another, he decided to take a vacation.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'несчастье' and 'неприятность' are neuter nouns in Russian, which means they follow standard neuter declension patterns. 'Несчастье' is irregular in some forms due to its root, while 'неприятность' is more regular.

Note: These nouns do not change for gender but inflect for case and number as shown. 'Несчастье' has some irregular plural forms in genitive and other cases.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • бедствие (bedstvie) - More dramatic, for disasters or calamities; often used in formal or emergency contexts.
  • инцидент (incident) - Neutral, for unplanned events; less emotional than 'несчастье'.
• Antonyms:
  • счастье (schast'ye) - Direct opposite, meaning happiness or good fortune.
  • успех (uspekh) - Meaning success, contrasting with negative outcomes.

Related Phrases:

• Малое несчастье - A minor mishap; used to downplay an unfortunate event.
• Цепь неприятностей - A string of mishaps; implies a series of bad luck.
• Избежать несчастья - To avoid a mishap; common in advice or storytelling.

Usage Notes:

• 'Несчастье' corresponds more closely to 'mishap' in formal or emotional contexts, while 'неприятность' is better for everyday, light-hearted situations. Choose based on severity: use 'несчастье' for events with lasting impact and 'неприятность' for temporary inconveniences.
• Be mindful of Russian's case system; for example, in prepositional phrases, 'о несчастье' (about the mishap) requires the prepositional case.
• In spoken Russian, these words can vary by region; in informal settings, they might be softened with diminutives like 'несчастьице' for a more affectionate tone.

Common Errors:

• Confusing 'несчастье' with 'авария' (avariya, meaning accident like a car crash): English learners might overuse 'несчастье' for any incident. Correct usage: Use 'авария' for mechanical failures, and 'несчастье' for broader misfortunes. Example of error: *Это авария на дороге* (wrongly said as *Это несчастье на дороге*); Correct: Это неприятность на дороге if it's minor.
• Forgetting declensions: Learners often use nouns in nominative case everywhere. Error: *Я боюсь несчастье* (incorrect); Correct: *Я боюсь несчастья* (genitive after 'бояться').

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like 'несчастье' often carry a philosophical weight, influenced by literature (e.g., in Dostoevsky's works) where misfortunes are seen as tests of character or fate. This reflects a cultural emphasis on resilience and fatalism, where accepting 'несчастье' as part of life is common, rather than viewing it as purely negative.

Related Concepts:

• происшествие (proisshestvie) - Incident or event.
• бедствие (bedstvie) - Calamity or disaster.
• счастье (schast'ye) - Happiness, as a contrasting concept.