Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'pied'

English Word: pied

Key Russian Translations:

• пёстрый [ˈpʲɵstrɨj] - [Adjective, used for describing patterns or colors]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in descriptive language about colors and patterns, but not in everyday casual speech)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate, as it involves understanding Russian adjectives and their inflections; CEFR level for learners with basic vocabulary)

Pronunciation (Russian):

пёстрый: [ˈpʲɵstrɨj]

Note on пёстрый: The initial 'п' is palatalized, which can be challenging for English speakers; it sounds like 'pyo' with a soft 'y'. Variations in fast speech may soften the vowels.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: Having spots or patches of different colors, often used for animals, clothing, or patterns.

Translation(s) & Context:

• пёстрый - Used in formal and descriptive contexts, such as in literature or art, to describe something multicolored or variegated (e.g., a pied bird).

Usage Examples:

• Эта птица пёстрая, как будто её опоясали разноцветные полосы.

  This bird is pied, as if it were girded with multicolored stripes.

• В саду растут пёстрые цветы, которые притягивают бабочек.

  In the garden, pied flowers grow that attract butterflies.

• Его рубашка пёстрая, с узорами из красного и синего.

  His shirt is pied, with patterns of red and blue.

• Пёстрый ковер на стене добавляет комнате яркости.

  The pied carpet on the wall adds brightness to the room.

• В осеннем лесу листья становятся пёстрыми от смены цветов.

  In the autumn forest, the leaves become pied from the change of colors.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

пёстрый is an adjective in Russian, which follows the standard first-declension pattern for adjectives. It changes based on gender, number, and case. Below is a table outlining its key inflections:

Note: This adjective is regular, so it follows common rules without irregularities.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • разноцветный (raznocvetnyy) - More general, used for anything with multiple colors; less specific to patterns.
  • крапчатый (krapchatyy) - Implies spotted or dotted patterns, similar to 'pied' but often for smaller spots.
• Antonyms:
  • однотонный (odnotonnyy) - Means uniform or single-colored, contrasting with the multicolored aspect.
  • монохромный (monokhromnyy) - Used in artistic contexts for shades of one color.

Related Phrases:

• пёстрый узор (pyostryy uzor) - Pied pattern; a design with mixed colors, often in textiles or art.
• пёстрый костюм (pyostryy kostyum) - Pied costume; refers to colorful, patterned clothing for performances or festivals.
• пёстрый пейзаж (pyostryy peyzazh) - Pied landscape; describes a varied, colorful natural scene, like autumn foliage.

Usage Notes:

пёстрый directly corresponds to 'pied' in English as an adjective describing variegated colors, but it's more commonly used in literary or descriptive contexts rather than everyday conversation. Be mindful of its inflections based on gender, number, and case in Russian sentences. For example, choose пёстрый for masculine nouns and пёстрая for feminine ones. When selecting among translations, use пёстрый for natural or artistic patterns, but opt for разноцветный if emphasizing a broader range of colors without specific spotting.

• In formal writing, it's ideal for descriptions in nature or art.
• Avoid overusing it in casual speech, as it may sound poetic.

Common Errors:

English learners often mistake пёстрый for simply meaning 'colorful' and forget its inflection. For instance, they might say "пёстрый дом" incorrectly if the noun requires a different form, like "пёстром доме" in prepositional case. Correct usage: Incorrect: "Я вижу пёстрый птица" (wrong gender agreement); Correct: "Я вижу пёстрых птиц" (for plural). This error stems from English's lack of gender, so always check the noun's properties before inflecting.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like пёстрый often evoke imagery from folklore, such as in fairy tales where characters wear pied clothing to symbolize magic or disguise. For example, it relates to the Pied Piper story in Western culture, but in Russia, similar motifs appear in tales like those by Alexander Pushkin, where colorful patterns represent whimsy or the vibrancy of nature.

Related Concepts:

• крапчатый (krapchatyy)
• разноцветный (raznocvetnyy)
• узорчатый (uzorchaty y)