Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'perpetuate'

English Word: perpetuate

Key Russian Translations:

• поддерживать [pɐd.dʲɪrˈʐɨ.vətʲ] - [Formal, Verb, Used in contexts involving sustaining or maintaining something over time]
• продлевать [prədˈlʲe.vətʲ] - [Formal, Verb, Used when referring to extending duration or longevity]

Frequency: Medium (This word and its translations are encountered in written and formal Russian, such as in literature or discussions on culture, but not in everyday casual speech.)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate level; requires understanding of verb conjugations and formal vocabulary. For 'поддерживать', it may be B2; for 'продлевать', it could be slightly easier at B1 due to common usage in time-related contexts.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

поддерживать: [pɐd.dʲɪrˈʐɨ.vətʲ]

Note on поддерживать: The stress falls on the third syllable ('ʐɨ'), which can be tricky for English speakers due to the soft 'дʲ' sound; practice with native audio for accuracy.

продлевать: [prədˈlʲe.vətʲ]

Note on продлевать: Stress is on the second syllable ('lʲe'); the 'лʲ' is a soft 'l' sound, common in Russian verbs, and may vary slightly in fast speech.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary meaning: To make something continue indefinitely or sustain it over time.

Translation(s) & Context:

• поддерживать - Used in formal or academic contexts, such as perpetuating cultural traditions or social norms.
• продлевать - Applied in contexts involving extension, like perpetuating a contract or a historical legacy.

Usage Examples:

• Они поддерживают традиции своих предков, чтобы сохранить культурное наследие.

  They perpetuate the traditions of their ancestors to preserve cultural heritage.

• Правительство продлевает программы, которые помогают perpetuating социальное равенство.

  The government perpetuates programs that help maintain social equality.

• Эта книга продлевает мифы о героях, perpetuating их в массовом сознании.

  This book perpetuates myths about heroes, keeping them alive in public consciousness.

• Музей поддерживает выставки, которые perpetuating историю страны через поколения.

  The museum perpetuates exhibitions that maintain the country's history across generations.

• Родители продлевают семейные обычаи, чтобы perpetuating ценности в семье.

  Parents perpetuate family customs to extend values within the family.

Secondary meaning: To cause something to last or be prolonged, often negatively (e.g., perpetuating stereotypes).

Translation(s) & Context:

• поддерживать - Used in critical contexts, such as perpetuating negative stereotypes in media.
• продлевать - Less common here, but applicable for extending harmful practices.

Usage Examples:

• Медиа поддерживают стереотипы, perpetuating предубеждения в обществе.

  The media perpetuates stereotypes, maintaining prejudices in society.

• Некоторые политики продлевают конфликты, вместо того чтобы perpetuating мир.

  Some politicians perpetuate conflicts instead of promoting peace.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'поддерживать' and 'продлевать' are imperfective verbs in Russian, which means they describe ongoing or repeated actions. Russian verbs conjugate based on tense, aspect, person, number, and gender. These verbs follow standard conjugation patterns for first-conjugation verbs.

Note: These verbs can form perfective aspects (e.g., 'поддержать' for поддерживать), but they are irregular in some past forms. They do not change for gender in the present tense but do in the past.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • сохранять (sokhranjat') - Similar to поддерживать, but emphasizes preservation over active maintenance.
  • продолжать (prodolzhat') - Often interchangeable with продлевать in contexts of continuation.
• Antonyms:
  • прекращать (prekrashchat') - To stop or end something.
  • уничтожать (unichtozhat') - To destroy or eliminate.

Related Phrases:

• Поддерживать традиции - To perpetuate traditions; used in cultural or familial contexts to mean sustaining customs over time.
• Продлевать договор - To perpetuate a contract; common in legal or business settings for extending agreements.
• Вечно поддерживать что-то - To eternally perpetuate something; an idiomatic phrase implying endless maintenance, often with a poetic connotation.

Usage Notes:

In Russian, 'поддерживать' is the most direct equivalent to 'perpetuate' when focusing on ongoing support, while 'продлевать' is better for temporal extension. Both are formal and rarely used in casual conversation; opt for them in written essays, academic papers, or official documents. Be mindful of aspect: use imperfective forms for habitual actions. When choosing between translations, consider context—'поддерживать' for abstract concepts like ideas, and 'продлевать' for tangible items like contracts. English speakers should note that Russian verbs require agreement with subject in person and number, which can affect sentence structure.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using 'поддерживать' interchangeably with 'продолжать' without considering nuance. Incorrect: "Я поддерживаю фильм" (implying active maintenance). Correct: "Я продлеваю подписку" for extending a subscription. Explanation: 'Поддерживать' implies sustaining, not just continuing, so misuse can lead to confusion in meaning.
• Mistake: Forgetting verb conjugations, e.g., saying "Я поддерживать" instead of "Я поддерживаю". Incorrect: "Мы продлевать договор". Correct: "Мы продлеваем договор". Explanation: Russian requires full conjugation; uninflected forms sound unnatural and are a common error for beginners.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like 'поддерживать' often relate to the preservation of national heritage, such as in literature or folklore, where traditions are perpetuated to maintain a sense of identity. For instance, Soviet-era policies emphasized perpetuating revolutionary ideals, reflecting how language ties into historical narratives and collective memory.

Related Concepts:

• сохранять
• продолжать
• вечный