Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'paralyse'

English Word: paralyse

Key Russian Translations:

• парализовать [pərəlʲɪzə'vatʲ] - [Formal, Medical contexts]
• обездвижить [ɐbʲɪzˈdviʒʲɪtʲ] - [Informal, General use, when emphasizing immobilization]

Frequency: Medium (Common in medical, psychological, or descriptive contexts, but not everyday conversation)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; involves verb conjugation and nuanced usage; for "парализовать", it's B2, while "обездвижить" is also B2 due to similar conjugation patterns)

Pronunciation (Russian):

парализовать: [pərəlʲɪzə'vatʲ]

обездвижить: [ɐbʲɪzˈdviʒʲɪtʲ]

Note on парализовать: The stress falls on the third syllable (-zo-), which can be tricky for English speakers due to the palatalized 'л' sound; pronounce it softly as in "million".

Note on обездвижить: The initial 'o' is reduced in casual speech to [ɐ], common in Russian unstressed vowels.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To cause someone or something to lose the ability to move or function, often temporarily or permanently (e.g., in medical or emotional contexts).

Translation(s) & Context:

• парализовать - Used in formal or medical settings to describe physical or metaphorical paralysis, such as in surgery or fear-induced states.
• обездвижить - Applied in informal contexts for immobilization, like in accidents or restraints, with a broader everyday connotation.

Usage Examples:

• Врачи парализовали пациента для проведения сложной операции.

  Doctors paralysed the patient to perform a complex surgery. (Demonstrates medical context with perfective aspect.)

• Страх перед экзаменом парализовал её, и она не смогла ответить ни на один вопрос.

  Fear of the exam paralysed her, and she couldn't answer a single question. (Shows metaphorical use in emotional scenarios.)

• Обездвижить врага было ключевой тактикой в бою.

  Immobilizing the enemy was the key tactic in the battle. (Illustrates informal, action-oriented context with "обездвижить".)

• Холодная погода может обездвижить транспорт в городе.

  Cold weather can paralyse transportation in the city. (Highlights broader application to objects or systems.)

• Парализовать мышцы – это стандартная процедура в анестезиологии.

  Paralysing muscles is a standard procedure in anesthesiology. (Emphasizes technical, repetitive use.)

2. To render a system, organization, or process ineffective or halted (e.g., in a figurative sense).

Translation(s) & Context:

• парализовать - Often used metaphorically for systems, like government or traffic, in formal writing or news.
• обездвижить - Less common here, but can apply in casual discussions of disruptions.

Usage Examples:

• Забастовка парализовала работу фабрики на неделю.

  The strike paralysed the factory's operations for a week. (Shows impact on systems in a professional context.)

• Обездвижить экономику санкциями – это распространённая стратегия.

  Paralysing the economy with sanctions is a common strategy. (Demonstrates geopolitical usage with "обездвижить".)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "парализовать" and "обездвижить" are first-conjugation verbs in Russian, which means they follow regular patterns but can have irregularities in perfective aspects. "Парализовать" is imperfective, while its perfective counterpart is "парализовать" (same form in some cases, but context matters). They inflect based on tense, aspect, person, and number.

Note: These verbs do not change for gender in the infinitive or future forms but do in the past tense, which is standard for Russian verbs.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • обездвижить (similar to paralyse but more about stopping movement)
  • заморозить (to freeze or halt, often figuratively; used in financial contexts)
• Antonyms:
  • восстановить (to restore or recover)
  • активизировать (to activate or energize)

Related Phrases:

• Полностью парализовать – Completely paralyse (used for total immobilization, e.g., in medical emergencies).
• Обездвижить на время – To immobilize temporarily (common in legal or safety contexts).
• Паралич страха – Paralysis of fear (a fixed phrase for emotional freezing).

Usage Notes:

In English, "paralyse" is a verb that directly corresponds to "парализовать" in formal Russian contexts, especially medical ones, but "обездвижить" offers a more versatile option for everyday immobilization. Be mindful of aspect: use imperfective "парализовать" for ongoing actions and perfective "обездвижить" for completed ones. In spoken Russian, these words are often confined to specific domains like healthcare or psychology, so avoid them in casual chit-chat. When choosing between translations, opt for "парализовать" if the context is literal (e.g., physical paralysis) and "обездвижить" for broader applications.

Common Errors:

• Error: Confusing aspect and using "парализовать" where a perfective verb is needed, e.g., saying "Я парализовал" instead of "Я обездвижил" for a one-time event. Correct: Use "обездвижил" for completed actions to avoid sounding awkward. Explanation: Russian verbs require precise aspect to convey temporality, which English speakers often overlook.

• Error: Mispronouncing the palatalized sounds, like saying [pərəlɪzəvat] instead of [pərəlʲɪzə'vatʲ]. Correct: Practice the soft 'л' as in "leaf". Explanation: This can make the word unintelligible to native speakers.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "парализовать" often appear in literature and media to describe emotional or societal paralysis, as seen in works by authors like Dostoevsky, symbolizing deeper existential struggles. This reflects Russia's historical context of revolutions and hardships, where immobilization can metaphorically represent bureaucratic inertia or personal crises.

Related Concepts:

• паралич
• обездвиживание
• кататония