Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'punish'

English Word: punish

Key Russian Translations:

• наказывать [nəˈkazɨvətʲ] - [Informal, Imperfective; used for ongoing or repeated actions]
• наказать [nəkɐˈzatʲ] - [Formal, Perfective; used for completed actions]

Frequency: Medium (This verb and its forms are commonly used in everyday language, literature, and legal contexts, but not as ubiquitous as basic verbs like 'to be' or 'to go').

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; learners at this level should grasp the basic conjugation and aspect differences, though mastering perfective/imperfective nuances may require practice. For 'наказать', it aligns with B1; 'наказывать' is slightly easier at A2 for basic forms.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

наказывать: [nəˈkazɨvətʲ]

наказать: [nəkɐˈzatʲ]

Note on наказывать: The stress falls on the second syllable ('kaz'), and the 'ы' sound can be tricky for English speakers as it's a centralized vowel; practice with native audio for accurate intonation.

Note on наказать: This is a perfective form, often pronounced with a sharper emphasis on the final 'tʲ' sound, which involves palatalization. Be mindful of the vowel reduction in unstressed syllables.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: To impose a penalty or discipline on someone for wrongdoing, such as breaking a law or rule.

Translation(s) & Context:

• наказывать - Used in contexts involving ongoing punishment, like parental discipline or habitual enforcement (e.g., in educational or correctional settings).
• наказать - Applied to a single, completed act of punishment, often in formal or legal scenarios, such as court decisions.

Usage Examples:

• Родители часто наказывают детей за плохое поведение. (Roditeli chasto nakazyvayut detey za plokhoye povedeniye.)

  Parents often punish children for bad behavior. (This example shows 'наказывать' in an imperfective form for repeated actions in a family context.)

• Судья решил наказать преступника лишением свободы. (Sudya reshil nakazat prestupnika lisheniyem svobody.)

  The judge decided to punish the criminal with imprisonment. (Here, 'наказать' is used in a perfective form for a decisive, one-time legal action.)

• В школе учителя наказывают учеников, чтобы научить их дисциплине. (V shkole uchitelya nakazyvayut uchenikov, chtoby nauchit ikh distsipline.)

  In school, teachers punish students to teach them discipline. (Illustrates 'наказывать' in an educational setting, emphasizing ongoing efforts.)

• Правительство может наказать компанию за экологические нарушения. (Pravitelstvo mozhet nakazat kompanuyu za ekologicheskiye narusheniya.)

  The government can punish the company for environmental violations. (Demonstrates 'наказать' in a formal, administrative context.)

• Иногда родители предпочитают наказывать детей, объясняя последствия их действий. (Inogda roditeli predpochtayut nakazyvayut detey, obyasnyaya posledstviya ikh deystviy.)

  Sometimes parents prefer to punish children by explaining the consequences of their actions. (Shows 'наказывать' with a more nuanced, reflective usage.)

Secondary Meaning: To cause suffering or hardship as a form of retribution, often metaphorically (e.g., in sports or personal contexts).

Translation(s) & Context:

• наказывать - In metaphorical uses, such as in sports where a team "punishes" opponents with heavy scoring.

Usage Examples:

• Команда наказывала соперников своей мощной атакой. (Komanda nakazyvala sopernikov svoyey moshchnoy atakov.)

  The team punished their opponents with their powerful attack. (This uses 'наказывать' metaphorically in a sports context.)

• Погода наказала нас проливным дождем во время пикника. (Pogoda nakazyvala nas prolivnym dozhdem vo vremya piknika.)

  The weather punished us with a downpour during the picnic. (Illustrates a figurative use for natural consequences.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'наказывать' and 'наказать' are verbs, and Russian verbs inflect based on aspect, tense, person, and number. 'Наказывать' is imperfective (indicating ongoing actions), while 'наказать' is perfective (indicating completed actions). They follow the first conjugation pattern with some irregularities in aspectual pairs.

These verbs do not have irregular inflections but require attention to aspect: use imperfective for processes and perfective for results. They are invariable in terms of stem changes beyond standard conjugation rules.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • штрафовать [ʂtʂəfɐ'vatʲ] (to fine, often for legal or financial penalties; more specific to monetary punishment)
  • карать [kɐ'ratʲ] (to punish or chastise, with a more severe or archaic connotation)
• Antonyms:
  • поощрять [pəɐ'ʂʂɨrətʲ] (to encourage or reward)
  • прощать [prɐ'ʂʂatʲ] (to forgive, implying no punishment)

Related Phrases:

• Наказать за преступление (Nakazat za prestupleniye) - To punish for a crime (used in legal contexts to denote retribution for offenses).
• Родительское наказание (Roditel'skoye nakazaniye) - Parental punishment (refers to disciplinary actions by parents, often involving explanation and correction).
• Наказывать строго (Nakazyvat' strogo) - To punish strictly (implies a severe or firm approach, common in educational or military settings).

Usage Notes:

Russian translations of 'punish' like 'наказывать' and 'наказать' emphasize verb aspects: choose 'наказывать' for ongoing or habitual actions (e.g., "I punish regularly") and 'наказать' for one-off events (e.g., "I will punish now"). Be cautious with formal contexts, where 'наказать' is preferred in legal writing. English speakers often overlook aspect, so practice pairing with appropriate tenses. For multiple translations, select based on context: use 'штрафовать' if punishment involves fines.

Common Errors:

• Confusing verb aspects: Learners might say "Я наказываю завтра" (incorrect for a future completed action), instead of "Я накажу завтра." Correct usage: Use 'наказать' for future perfective actions, and explain that imperfective is for processes.
• Overgeneralizing: Mistakenly using 'наказывать' in formal legal contexts, e.g., saying "Суд наказывает" instead of "Суд наказал." Error: This implies ongoing action; correct with perfective for decisions.
• Gender agreement in past tense: Forgetting to adjust for gender, e.g., saying "Она наказывал" (wrong) instead of "Она наказывала." Explanation: Past tense verbs in Russian agree with the subject's gender.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, punishment (e.g., via 'наказать') often carries a moral or educational undertone, influenced by historical contexts like Soviet-era discipline. It's common in literature and media to portray punishment as a path to redemption, as seen in works by Dostoevsky, where it reflects themes of guilt and societal correction.

Related Concepts:

• закон (zakon) - Law
• дисциплина (distsiplina) - Discipline
• преступление (prestuplenie) - Crime