Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'recoup'

English Word: recoup

Key Russian Translations:

• возместить [vozmeˈstʲitʲ] - [Formal, used in legal or financial contexts]
• отбить [ɐtˈbʲitʲ] - [Informal, often in business or everyday discussions]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in financial, legal, and business discussions, but not in casual everyday language)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and contextual usage; for 'возместить', it may be B2, while 'отбить' could be A2 for basic forms)

Pronunciation (Russian):

возместить: [vozmeˈstʲitʲ]

отбить: [ɐtˈbʲitʲ]

Note on возместить: The stress falls on the third syllable ('stʲitʲ'), which can be tricky for English speakers due to the palatalized 'tʲ' sound; it may vary slightly in rapid speech.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To recover or compensate for losses (financial or otherwise)

Translation(s) & Context:

• возместить - Used in formal contexts like insurance claims or business recovery, implying full reimbursement.
• отбить - Applied in informal settings, such as recovering investments in trade or personal finances.

Usage Examples:

• Мы смогли возместить убытки от неудачной инвестиции, благодаря росту рынка.

  We were able to recoup the losses from the unsuccessful investment thanks to the market growth.

• Компания отбила затраты на рекламу за счёт увеличения продаж.

  The company recouped the advertising costs through increased sales.

• Чтобы возместить расходы, нам пришлось пересмотреть бюджет проекта.

  To recoup the expenses, we had to revise the project budget.

• Он отбил свои вложения в бизнес всего за год.

  He recouped his investments in the business within just a year.

• Правительство обещало возместить ущерб от наводнения пострадавшим семьям.

  The government promised to recoup the damage from the flood for the affected families.

To regain something lost, such as time or effort

Translation(s) & Context:

• возместить - In metaphorical contexts, like recovering lost time in professional settings.
• отбить - Less common, but used informally for regaining effort in casual narratives.

Usage Examples:

• Ей удалось возместить упущенное время, работая сверхурочно.

  She managed to recoup the lost time by working overtime.

• После ошибки мы отбили потерянные усилия, оптимизируя процесс.

  After the mistake, we recouped the lost efforts by optimizing the process.

• Возместить эмоциональные потери сложно, но возможно с помощью терапии.

  Recouping emotional losses is difficult but possible with therapy.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'возместить' and 'отбить' are verbs, primarily imperfective in nature, and follow standard Russian verb conjugation patterns. 'Возместить' is a perfective verb, meaning it denotes a completed action, while 'отбить' can be both perfective and imperfective depending on context.

For 'возместить' (perfective):

For 'отбить' (perfective/imperfective forms exist; shown as perfective here):

These verbs are regular in most aspects but may have stress shifts in certain forms. Nouns derived from these (e.g., 'возмещение' for compensation) follow standard declension patterns.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • компенсировать (kompensirovatʲ) - Similar to 'возместить', but more general.
  • восполнить (vospolnitʲ) - Implies filling a gap, often used interchangeably with 'отбить' in informal contexts.
• Antonyms:
  • потерять (poteryatʲ) - To lose.
  • упустить (upustitʲ) - To miss out or fail to recoup.

Related Phrases:

• возместить убытки - To recoup losses; used in legal or financial discussions.
• отбить стоимость - To recoup the cost; common in business contexts, implying breaking even.
• возместить ущерб - To compensate for damage; often in insurance or accident scenarios, with the connotation of full recovery.

Usage Notes:

'Возместить' is the more precise translation for 'recoup' in formal English contexts, as it directly implies reimbursement or recovery of losses, while 'отбить' is better for informal or business-specific uses. Be mindful of the perfective aspect in Russian verbs, which aligns with the completed action in 'recoup'. In everyday Russian, these words are often paired with nouns like 'убытки' (losses) or 'затраты' (costs). Choose 'возместить' for official documents and 'отбить' for casual conversations to match the appropriate register.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using 'возместить' in the wrong aspect, e.g., saying "Я возмещаю убытки" when meaning a completed action.
  Correct: "Я возместил убытки" (I recouped the losses). Explanation: Russian verbs require the correct aspect; imperfective forms like 'возмещать' imply ongoing action, which may not fit 'recoup's' sense of completion.
• Mistake: Confusing 'отбить' with physical meanings (e.g., hitting back), leading to misuse like "Я отбил деньги" incorrectly.
  Correct: "Я отбил инвестиции" (I recouped investments). Explanation: In financial contexts, 'отбить' means recovery, not literal action, so context is key to avoid ambiguity.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, concepts like 'возместить' often tie into the historical emphasis on state compensation during economic hardships, such as post-Soviet reforms. This reflects a broader cultural value of resilience and recovery in the face of loss, which is evident in literature and media discussions about financial stability.

Related Concepts:

• компенсация (kompensatsiya)
• восстановление (vosstanovleniye)
• убытки (ubytki)