Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'pilfer'

English Word: pilfer

Key Russian Translations:

• красть /ˈkrastʲ/ - [Informal, commonly used for petty theft]
• хищать /xʲiˈʂʲatʲ/ - [Formal, often implies more organized or significant theft]

Frequency: Medium (The verb is commonly encountered in everyday contexts involving minor theft, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "брать").

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and nuances in context, with "красть" being slightly easier than "хищать" for learners at this level).

Pronunciation (Russian):

красть: /ˈkrastʲ/ (The "тʲ" sound is a soft 't', pronounced with the tongue touching the alveolar ridge; stress on the first syllable.)

Note on красть: Be cautious with the soft consonant; it's a common point of difficulty for English speakers due to the absence of similar sounds in English.

хищать: /xʲiˈʂʲatʲ/ (The "хʲ" is a soft, aspirated 'h' sound, and "ʂʲ" is a retroflex 'sh'; stress on the second syllable.)

Note on хищать: This word has a more formal tone and may vary slightly in rapid speech, where the soft consonants could blend.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: To steal something, especially in small amounts or without much force.

Translation(s) & Context:

• красть - Used in informal, everyday situations, such as taking small items from a store or home (e.g., in casual conversations about minor theft).
• хищать - Applied in more formal or legal contexts, like embezzlement or systematic theft (e.g., in news reports or official documents).

Usage Examples:

• Он крадет мелкие вещи из магазина. (He pilfers small items from the store.)

  English: He pilfers small items from the store. (This example shows the verb in present tense, simple subject-verb-object structure.)

• Дети иногда крадут конфеты у родителей. (Kids sometimes pilfer candies from their parents.)

  English: Kids sometimes pilfer candies from their parents. (Illustrates informal, familial context with direct object.)

• Воры хищали документы из офиса. (The thieves were pilfering documents from the office.)

  English: The thieves were pilfering documents from the office. (Demonstrates past tense and a more formal setting.)

• Не кради чужие вещи, это нехорошо. (Don't pilfer other people's things; it's not good.)

  English: Don't pilfer other people's things; it's not good. (Shows imperative form in moral advice.)

• Она хищает деньги из компании уже несколько месяцев. (She has been pilfering money from the company for several months.)

  English: She has been pilfering money from the company for several months. (Uses present perfect continuous for ongoing action.)

Secondary Meaning: To take something dishonestly but in a sneaky or trivial way.

Translation(s) & Context:

• красть - In playful or light-hearted contexts, like borrowing without permission (e.g., among friends).
• хищать - Less common here, but could imply a covert operation in professional settings.

Usage Examples:

• Мой брат крадет мои книги, но всегда возвращает. (My brother pilfers my books but always returns them.)

  English: My brother pilfers my books but always returns them. (Highlights a non-serious, familial theft.)

• В офисе кто-то крадет канцелярские принадлежности. (Someone is pilfering office supplies.)

  English: Someone is pilfering office supplies. (Shows workplace context with plural objects.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For the verb "красть" (an imperfective verb), it follows standard Russian conjugation patterns for first-conjugation verbs. It is irregular in some aspects due to its root. Below is a conjugation table for present tense:

For "хищать" (also imperfective), it conjugates similarly but with more regular patterns:

Both verbs have perfective counterparts ("украсть" for красть and "похитить" for хищать), which indicate completed actions.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • воровать (vorovat') - More general term for stealing, often interchangeable in informal contexts.
  • тащить (tashchit') - Implies dragging or taking away, with a nuance of effort; used for petty theft.
• Antonyms:
  • возвращать (vozvrashchat') - To return.
  • отдавать (otdavat') - To give back.

Related Phrases:

• красть из кармана (krast' iz karmana) - To pickpocket; a common phrase for stealing from pockets in crowded areas.
• хищать государственные средства (khishchat' gosudarstvennye sredstva) - To embezzle state funds; used in formal or legal contexts.
• красть время (krast' vremya) - To waste time; an idiomatic expression meaning to squander time dishonestly.

Usage Notes:

• "Красть" is the most direct equivalent to "pilfer" in informal settings, while "хищать" is better for formal or legal contexts; choose based on the severity and tone.
• Be aware of aspect: Use imperfective forms like "красть" for ongoing actions and perfective "украсть" for completed ones to match English tenses accurately.
• In Russian, these verbs often require a direct object, similar to English, but pay attention to case (e.g., accusative for direct objects).
• Avoid using in polite conversation; it's neutral but can carry negative connotations depending on context.

Common Errors:

• Error: Confusing the verb aspect, e.g., using "красть" for a completed action instead of "украсть". Correct: Say "Я украл книгу" (I pilfered the book) instead of "Я крал книгу" for a finished event. Explanation: Russian verbs have perfective and imperfective pairs, and mixing them can alter the meaning.
• Error: Overusing "хищать" in everyday speech. Correct: In casual talk, use "красть" rather than "хищать", which sounds overly formal. Explanation: This can make your Russian sound unnatural or stilted.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, themes of theft often appear in literature and folklore, such as in stories by Chekhov or folk tales, where petty theft might symbolize social inequality or cleverness. However, "pilfer" and its translations carry no unique cultural idioms beyond general moral disapproval of stealing.

Related Concepts:

• вор (vor) - Thief
• кража (krazha) - Theft
• ограбление (o grablenie) - Robbery