Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'penalty'

English Word: penalty

Key Russian Translations:

• Штраф (/ʂtraf/) - [Formal, Legal contexts]
• Наказание (/nəkəˈzanʲɪjə/) - [Formal, General punishment contexts]

Frequency: Medium (Commonly used in legal, financial, and sports discussions, but not everyday casual speech)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of basic noun inflections and contexts, per CEFR standards)

Pronunciation (Russian):

Штраф: /ʂtraf/ (The 'ш' sound is a voiceless postalveolar fricative, similar to 'sh' in 'shoe', but more palatalized.)

Note on Штраф: Be mindful of the soft 'р' in some regional accents, which may sound slightly rolled.

Audio: []

Наказание: /nəkəˈzanʲɪjə/ (Stress on the third syllable; the 'я' at the end is a soft vowel.)

Note on Наказание: The word ends with a palatalized 'e' sound, which can be tricky for beginners; it softens the preceding consonant.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: A financial or legal punishment, often involving a fine (e.g., in law or traffic violations)

Translation(s) & Context:

• Штраф - Used in formal legal contexts, such as court fines or administrative penalties; common in official documents.
• Наказание - Used more broadly for any punitive measure, but less specific to finances; appropriate in discussions of justice or discipline.

Usage Examples:

• Он заплатил штраф за превышение скорости. (He paid the penalty for speeding.)

  English Translation: He paid the fine for speeding. (This example shows 'штраф' in a legal traffic context.)

• Суд назначил ему штраф в размере 5000 рублей. (The court imposed a penalty of 5000 rubles on him.)

  English Translation: The court imposed a fine of 5000 rubles on him. (Illustrates 'штраф' with a specific amount in a judicial setting.)

• Это наказание за нарушение правил. (This is the penalty for breaking the rules.)

  English Translation: This is the punishment for breaking the rules. (Here, 'наказание' is used in a general regulatory context.)

• Водитель избежал штрафа, предъявив документы. (The driver avoided the penalty by presenting the documents.)

  English Translation: The driver avoided the fine by presenting the documents. (Demonstrates 'штраф' in an avoidance scenario.)

• Родители применили наказание, чтобы научить ребенка ответственности. (The parents applied a penalty to teach the child responsibility.)

  English Translation: The parents applied a punishment to teach the child responsibility. (Shows 'наказание' in a familial, educational context.)

Meaning 2: A disadvantage or sanction in sports or games (e.g., a penalty kick in soccer)

Translation(s) & Context:

• Штрафной (as in штрафной удар) - Specifically for sports penalties, like in soccer; informal in athletic discussions.
• Наказание - Less common in sports; used metaphorically for team discipline.

Usage Examples:

• Команда получила штрафной за фол в штрафной площади. (The team got a penalty for a foul in the penalty area.)

  English Translation: The team got a penalty for a foul in the penalty area. (This highlights 'штрафной' in a sports context.)

• Штрафной удар решил исход матча. (The penalty kick decided the match's outcome.)

  English Translation: The penalty kick decided the match's outcome. (Shows 'штрафной' in a decisive game moment.)

• Тренер видит в этом наказании возможность для роста. (The coach sees this penalty as an opportunity for growth.)

  English Translation: The coach sees this punishment as an opportunity for growth. (Uses 'наказание' metaphorically in sports.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'штраф' and 'наказание' are nouns. Russian nouns inflect for case, number, and gender. 'Штраф' is a masculine noun, while 'наказание' is neuter. Below is a table outlining key inflections:

Note: These follow regular patterns for their declensions, but 'штраф' has no irregularities. Always adjust based on sentence structure.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • Штраф - Пени (peni; for financial penalties, with a nuance of late fees)
  • Наказание - Кара (kara; more severe, implying retribution)
• Antonyms:
  • Поощрение (pooshchreniye; reward or encouragement)
  • Прощение (proshcheniye; forgiveness, often in moral contexts)

Related Phrases:

• Штраф за парковку - (Fine for parking; used in urban traffic enforcement contexts.)
• Наказание за преступление - (Punishment for a crime; common in legal and ethical discussions.)
• Штрафной период - (Penalty period; refers to a time-based sanction, e.g., in sports or contracts.)

Usage Notes:

'Штраф' directly corresponds to 'penalty' in financial or legal English contexts, but it's more specific to monetary fines. Use 'наказание' for broader punishments. In formal Russian, always consider the case and number for grammatical accuracy. For sports, 'штрафной' is preferred over 'штраф' alone. When choosing between translations, opt for 'штраф' in official settings and 'наказание' in educational or disciplinary ones to match the nuance.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using 'штраф' without proper inflection, e.g., saying "за штраф" instead of "за штрафа" in genitive contexts. Correct: "за штрафа" – This error arises from not adapting to Russian case systems; always check the sentence structure for accuracy.
• Mistake: Confusing 'наказание' with 'штраф' in sports, e.g., saying "наказание удар" instead of "штрафной удар". Correct: Use 'штрафной' for sports penalties to avoid sounding unnatural; 'наказание' implies a more general consequence.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, penalties like 'штраф' are often associated with strict enforcement in daily life, such as traffic fines, reflecting a historical emphasis on order and authority from Soviet times. 'Наказание' can carry moral undertones, linked to literary works like Dostoevsky's, where punishment explores themes of redemption and human nature.

Related Concepts:

• Арест (arest; arrest)
• Преступление (prestuplenie; crime)
• Поощрение (pooshchreniye; incentive)