Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'prevaricate'

English Word: prevaricate

Key Russian Translations:

• уклоняться /ʊkˈɫonʲɪt͡sə/ - [Verb, Informal, Used in everyday conversations to describe evasive behavior]
• изворачиваться /ɪzʲvɐˈrʲaʧʲɪvət͡sə/ - [Verb, Informal, Used when implying clever or deceptive avoidance]

Frequency: Medium (commonly encountered in discussions, literature, and media, but not as frequent as basic verbs)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate, as it involves understanding nuanced contexts; for 'уклоняться', it's B2, while 'изворачиваться' may lean towards B1 due to its straightforward usage)

Pronunciation (Russian):

уклоняться: /ʊkˈɫonʲɪt͡sə/

изворачиваться: /ɪzʲvɐˈrʲaʧʲɪvət͡sə/

Note on уклоняться: The stress falls on the second syllable ('lon'), which can be tricky for learners due to Russian's variable stress patterns; it's often pronounced with a soft 'l' in casual speech.

Note on изворачиваться: This verb has a rolling 'r' sound, which is a common challenge; variations may occur in regional dialects.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To speak or act in an evasive way, often to avoid telling the truth directly.

Translation(s) & Context:

• уклоняться - Used in contexts where someone is dodging questions, such as in debates or interrogations, to imply intentional avoidance without outright lying.
• изворачиваться - Applied in situations involving clever excuses or manipulations, like in negotiations or storytelling, to highlight deceitful tactics.

Usage Examples:

• Он всегда уклоняется от прямых вопросов о своей работе. (On vsegda uklonjaetsja ot prjamykh voprosov o svoyey rabote.)

  He always prevaricates from direct questions about his work.

• В переговорах она изворачивается, чтобы не раскрывать конфиденциальную информацию. (V peregovorakh ona izvoračivaetsja, čtoby ne raskryvat' konfidencial'nuju informaciju.)

  In negotiations, she prevaricates to avoid revealing confidential information.

• Политик уклоняется от ответа на обвинения, используя неопределенные фразы. (Politik uklonjaetsja ot otveta na obvinenija, ispol'zuya neopredelennye frazy.)

  The politician prevaricates in response to accusations by using vague phrases.

• Чтобы выиграть время, он начал изворачиваться в своих объяснениях. (Čtoby vyigrat' vremja, on načal izvoračivat'sja v svoikh objasnenijakh.)

  To buy time, he started prevaricating in his explanations.

• Дети часто уклоняются от вопросов родителей о школьных делах. (Deti často uklonjajutsja ot voprosov roditeley o škol'nykh delakh.)

  Children often prevaricate from their parents' questions about school matters, showing the verb in a familial context.

Meaning 2: To deviate from the truth in a subtle or misleading manner.

Translation(s) & Context:

• изворачиваться - Particularly in legal or ethical contexts, where it implies twisting facts without direct falsehood.

Usage Examples:

• Свидеток изворачивается на допросе, избегая прямого признания. (Svidetok izvoračivaetsja na doprose, izbegaja prjamogo priznanija.)

  The witness is prevaricating during the interrogation to avoid direct admission.

• В интервью он изворачивается, чтобы не обидеть аудиторию. (V interv'ju on izvoračivaetsja, čtoby ne obidet' auditoriju.)

  In the interview, he prevaricates to not offend the audience.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'уклоняться' and 'изворачиваться' are imperfective verbs in Russian, which means they describe ongoing or repeated actions. Russian verbs follow conjugation patterns based on person, number, tense, and aspect. These verbs are from the first conjugation group and have regular inflections, but they can be imperfective, with perfective counterparts like 'уклониться' and 'извернуться' for completed actions.

Note: These verbs do not change in the infinitive form and maintain regularity across tenses, but learners should note aspectual pairs for precise usage.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms: избегать (izbegat' - more neutral, for general avoidance), увиливать (uvilivat' - similar to prevaricate, with a connotation of slyness)
• Antonyms: говорить прямо (govorit' prjamo - to speak directly, straightforwardly), признавать (priznavat' - to admit or acknowledge)

Note: 'Избегать' is often interchangeable with 'уклоняться' in casual contexts, but 'увиливать' implies a more deliberate deceit.

Related Phrases:

• уклоняться от ответа - Evading the answer; used in questioning scenarios to indicate avoidance.
• изворачиваться из ситуации - Wrangling out of a situation; a common idiom for escaping tricky circumstances cleverly.
• уклоняться от ответственности - Shirking responsibility; highlights prevarication in professional or ethical contexts.

Usage Notes:

'Уклоняться' and 'изворачиваться' are not direct one-to-one matches for 'prevaricate' but capture its essence in Russian. 'Уклоняться' is more formal and common in written language, while 'изворачиваться' suits informal spoken contexts. Always consider the aspect: use imperfective for ongoing actions and perfective (e.g., 'уклониться') for completed ones. English speakers should note that Russian verbs require agreement in person and number, which can affect sentence structure.

• Choose 'уклоняться' for subtle evasion and 'изворачиваться' for more active deception based on context.
• In formal writing, pair with adverbs like 'часто' (often) to enhance nuance.

Common Errors:

English learners often confuse 'уклоняться' with 'избегать', using them interchangeably, but 'уклоняться' implies intentional prevarication, while 'избегать' is more about general avoidance. For example:

• Error: Saying "Я избегаю от вопросов" (incorrect, as it should be "избегаю вопросов").
• Correct: "Я уклоняюсь от вопросов" - This properly conveys prevarication. Explanation: Omitting prepositions or misusing verb forms can lead to awkward phrasing; always ensure the verb is conjugated correctly for the subject.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, prevarication like 'уклоняться' is often associated with historical contexts such as Soviet-era interrogations or modern political discourse, where indirect speech was a survival tactic. This reflects a cultural emphasis on subtlety in communication to maintain harmony or avoid conflict.

Related Concepts:

• лгать (to lie)
• обманывать (to deceive)
• уклонение (evasion)