Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'recognize'

English Word: recognize

Key Russian Translations:

• узнавать [ʊznɐˈvatʲ] - [Informal, Imperfective verb]
• узнать [ʊzˈnatʲ] - [Informal, Perfective verb]
• распознавать [rəspɐˈznavatʲ] - [Formal, Technical contexts]

Frequency: Medium (Common in everyday conversations and literature, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "to know").

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb aspects and basic conjugations. For "узнавать/узнать", it's B1; for "распознавать", it may reach B2 due to more formal usage).

Pronunciation (Russian):

узнавать: [ʊznɐˈvatʲ]

узнать: [ʊzˈnatʲ]

распознавать: [rəspɐˈznavatʲ]

Note on узнавать: The stress falls on the second syllable; be cautious with the soft 'т' sound, which can be tricky for English speakers due to its palatalization.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To identify or acknowledge someone or something previously known.

Translation(s) & Context:

• узнавать - Used in informal, everyday situations, such as recognizing a face in a crowd.
• узнать - Perfective form, for completed actions, e.g., suddenly recognizing something.

Usage Examples:

• Я узнавал его по голосу на телефоне. (Ya uznaval yego po golosu na telefone.)

  I recognized him by his voice on the phone.

• Она узнала старого друга на улице. (Ona uznla starogo druga na ulitse.)

  She recognized an old friend on the street.

• В темноте трудно узнавать лица. (V temnote trudno uznavat litsa.)

  It's hard to recognize faces in the dark.

• Он узнал правду только через год. (On uznul pravdu tolko cherez god.)

  He recognized the truth only after a year.

Meaning 2: To acknowledge formally, such as in official contexts.

Translation(s) & Context:

• распознавать - Used in formal or technical settings, like recognizing patterns in AI or official documents.

Usage Examples:

• Система распознаёт голосовые команды. (Sistema raspoznayot golosovyye komandy.)

  The system recognizes voice commands.

• В суде они распознавали подлинность документов. (V sude oni raspoznavali podlinnost dokumentov.)

  In court, they recognized the authenticity of the documents.

• Программа распознаёт лица на фотографиях. (Programma raspoznayet litsa na fotografiyakh.)

  The program recognizes faces in photos.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For verbs like "узнавать" and "узнать", these are imperfective and perfective pairs, which is a key feature of Russian grammar. "Узнавать" is imperfective (ongoing action), while "узнать" is perfective (completed action). They follow standard first-conjugation patterns with irregularities in aspects.

Note: "Распознавать" follows a similar pattern but is less irregular. These verbs do not change in gender or number in the infinitive form.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • опознавать (opoznavat') - Similar to recognize, but often used in identification contexts like forensics.
  • признавать (priznavat') - To acknowledge or admit, with a nuance of acceptance.
• Antonyms:
  • не узнавать (ne uznavat') - Not to recognize.
  • отвергать (otvergat') - To reject or deny recognition.

Related Phrases:

• Узнать в лицо (Uznat' v litso) - To recognize by face; literally "to recognize in the face"; used for visual identification.
• Распознавание голоса (Raspoznovanie golosa) - Voice recognition; a common phrase in technology contexts.
• Узнать правду (Uznat' pravdu) - To find out the truth; implies discovering or recognizing reality.

Usage Notes:

In Russian, "recognize" often requires choosing between imperfective ("узнавать") for ongoing processes and perfective ("узнать") for completed ones, unlike English which doesn't distinguish aspects. Use "распознавать" in formal or scientific contexts to avoid sounding too casual. English speakers should note that Russian verbs conjugate based on subject, so always match the person, number, and gender.

• Context tip: In phone conversations, "узнавать" is common for casual recognition, but in official settings, opt for "распознавать".
• Multiple translations: Choose "узнавать" for everyday use and "распознавать" for technical accuracy.

Common Errors:

English learners often confuse verb aspects, e.g., using "узнавать" for a completed action: Incorrect: "Я узнавал книгу вчера" (implying ongoing action). Correct: "Я узнал книгу вчера" (for a finished recognition). Another error is overusing "распознавать" in casual speech, which sounds overly formal—stick to "узнавать" for natural conversation. Explanation: Russian aspect system requires precision; mixing them can alter the intended meaning.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, "узнавать" can carry emotional weight, such as in literature where recognizing a long-lost relative symbolizes reunion or nostalgia, as seen in classic works by Tolstoy. This reflects the cultural emphasis on personal connections and history.

Related Concepts:

• память (pamyat') - Memory
• идентификация (identifikatsiya) - Identification
• признание (priznanie) - Acknowledgment