Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'perish'

English Word: perish

Key Russian Translations:

• погибать [pɐˈɡʲibətʲ] - [Formal, Verb, Used in contexts of death or destruction]
• гнить [ɡnʲitʲ] - [Informal, Verb, Used for decay or spoilage, especially of organic matter]
• испортиться [ɪˈspɔrtʲɪt͡sə] - [Neutral, Verb, Used specifically for perishing in the sense of spoiling or going bad]

Frequency: Medium (Common in literature, news, and everyday conversation, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "быть" or "идти")

Difficulty: B1-B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and context, with "погибать" being slightly more challenging due to its imperfective aspect)

Pronunciation (Russian):

погибать: [pɐˈɡʲibətʲ] (The stress is on the second syllable; note the soft 'г' sound, which can be tricky for English speakers.)

Note on погибать: This verb has a palatalized 'г', making it sound like "poh-gee-BAHT". Practice the rolling 'r' in casual speech.

гнить: [ɡnʲitʲ] (Stress on the first syllable; the 'гн' combination is pronounced as a soft 'gn', similar to the 'gn' in "lasagna" but more guttural.)

Note on гнить: Avoid overemphasizing the 'н'; it's a quick, nasal sound. Regional variations may soften it further in southern dialects.

испортиться: [ɪˈspɔrtʲɪt͡sə] (Stress on the third syllable; the 'т' is palatalized before 'с'.)

Note on испортиться: This is a reflexive verb, so the ending '-ся' affects pronunciation slightly, making it more fluid in spoken Russian.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To die or be destroyed (e.g., in a catastrophic or permanent sense)

Translation(s) & Context:

• погибать - Used in formal or literary contexts for people, animals, or objects facing death or ruin, often implying inevitability.
• испортиться - Less common for this meaning, but applicable in contexts of destruction, like perishing in an accident.

Usage Examples:

• В жару цветы быстро погибают без воды. (In the heat, flowers quickly perish without water.)

  Translation: In the heat, flowers quickly perish without water. (This shows the verb in a natural, everyday context with an inanimate subject.)

• Многие солдаты погибли в той войне. (Many soldiers perished in that war.)

  Translation: Many soldiers perished in that war. (Illustrates use in historical or military contexts, emphasizing loss of life.)

• Если не защитить урожай, он может погибать от мороза. (If the harvest isn't protected, it may perish from frost.)

  Translation: If the harvest isn't protected, it may perish from frost. (Demonstrates conditional sentence structure.)

• Планета погибнет, если мы не остановим загрязнение. (The planet will perish if we don't stop pollution.)

  Translation: The planet will perish if we don't stop pollution. (Used in environmental discussions, showing future tense.)

Meaning 2: To decay or spoil (e.g., food or materials)

Translation(s) & Context:

• гнить - Informal and vivid, often for organic decay, like rotting food or wood.
• испортиться - More neutral, used for perishable items like food going bad in storage.

Usage Examples:

• Фрукты в холодильнике начали гнить из-за высокой влажности. (The fruits in the refrigerator started to perish due to high humidity.)

  Translation: The fruits in the refrigerator started to perish due to high humidity. (Shows present tense in a domestic setting.)

• Мясо испортилось, потому что оно слишком долго лежало на солнце. (The meat perished because it was left in the sun for too long.)

  Translation: The meat perished because it was left in the sun for too long. (Illustrates cause-effect structure with past tense.)

• Не ешьте это; оно уже гниет. (Don't eat this; it's perishing.)

  Translation: Don't eat this; it's perishing. (Used in imperative warnings, common in everyday speech.)

• В старом доме древесина начала гнить от постоянной сырости. (In the old house, the wood started to perish from constant dampness.)

  Translation: In the old house, the wood started to perish from constant dampness. (Demonstrates progressive decay in descriptive contexts.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

These translations are primarily verbs, which undergo conjugation based on tense, aspect, person, and number in Russian. "Погибать" is an imperfective verb, while "гнить" and "испортиться" are also imperfective but can have perfective counterparts.

Note: These verbs are irregular in some aspects; for example, "гнить" has vowel changes in conjugation. Non-conjugated forms like adverbs or nouns related to these (e.g., "погибший" - perished) do not change.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • погибать: умереть (umeret' - to die; more direct and neutral)
  • гнить: разлагаться (razlagat'sya - to decompose; used in scientific contexts)
  • испортиться: протухнуть (protukhnut' - to go off; specific to food spoilage)
• Antonyms:
  • погибать: выжить (vyzhit' - to survive)
  • гнить: сохраниться (sokhranit'sya - to preserve)
  • испортиться: остаться свежим (ostatsya svezhim - to remain fresh)

Related Phrases:

• Погибать в огне (Pogibat' v ogne) - To perish in fire; used in dramatic or emergency contexts.
• Гнить на корню (Gnit' na kornyu) - To rot at the root; metaphorical for something failing from the start.
• Испортиться из-за нехватки ухода (Isportit'sya iz-za nekhatki ukhoda) - To perish due to lack of care; common in discussions about maintenance.

Usage Notes:

"Perish" translates variably in Russian based on context: use "погибать" for human or large-scale destruction, "гнить" for biological decay, and "испортиться" for everyday spoilage. Be mindful of aspect—imperfective forms like these indicate ongoing actions. In formal writing, pair with adverbs like "быстро" (quickly) for emphasis. Choose the translation based on register: "гнить" is casual and vivid, avoiding it in professional settings.

Common Errors:

• Error: Confusing "погибать" with "умереть" by using it incorrectly in perfective contexts. Incorrect: "Он погиб" (implying completion, but it's imperfective). Correct: "Он погиб" should be "Он умер" for a completed action. Explanation: "Погибать" is imperfective, so it's for processes, not instant events.
• Error: Overusing "гнить" in non-decay contexts. Incorrect: "Еда гниёт в магазине" when it means "spoils." Correct: "Еда портится в магазине." Explanation: "Гнить" implies visible rot, while "испортиться" is broader for spoilage.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "погибать" often carry a poetic or tragic connotation, frequently appearing in literature (e.g., Tolstoy's works) to symbolize loss during wars or natural disasters. This reflects Russia's historical experiences with hardship, where perishing is not just physical but also metaphorical for societal decline.

Related Concepts:

• смерть (smert' - death)
• разрушение (razrusheniye - destruction)
• гниение (gnieniye - decay)
• свежий (svezhiy - fresh)