Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'restrain'

English Word: restrain

Key Russian Translations:

• сдерживать [sˈdʲɛrʐɨvɐtʲ] - [Formal, used for emotional or physical control]
• ограничивать [ɐgrɐˈnʲiʧʲɪvɐtʲ] - [Formal, used in contexts of limits or boundaries]
• удерживать [uˈdʲɛrʐɨvɐtʲ] - [Informal, used for holding back physically or metaphorically]

Frequency: Medium (These verbs are commonly used in everyday Russian conversation, literature, and media, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "быть" (to be)).

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate level; requires understanding of verb conjugations and contextual nuances. For сдерживать and ограничивать, the difficulty may lean towards B2 due to irregular aspects, while удерживать is closer to B1 for simpler forms).

Pronunciation (Russian):

сдерживать: [sˈdʲɛrʐɨvɐtʲ]

Note on сдерживать: The 'ж' sound in [ʐ] can be challenging for English speakers; it's a voiced fricative, similar to the 's' in "measure." Stress falls on the second syllable.

ограничивать: [ɐgrɐˈnʲiʧʲɪvɐtʲ]

Note on ограничивать: Pay attention to the palatalized 'н' [nʲ], which softens the sound; this is common in Russian verbs. Stress is on the third syllable.

удерживать: [uˈdʲɛrʐɨvɐtʲ]

Note on удерживать: The initial 'у' [u] is a back vowel; avoid pronouncing it like English "you." This verb has a more straightforward pronunciation for beginners.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To prevent someone or something from doing something, often involving emotional or physical control.

Translation(s) & Context:

• сдерживать - Used in formal or emotional contexts, such as suppressing feelings in social situations.
• удерживать - Applied in informal, physical scenarios, like holding back an object or person.

Usage Examples:

• Он старался сдерживать свои эмоции во время встречи. (He tried to restrain his emotions during the meeting.)

  He tried to restrain his emotions during the meeting.

• Врач посоветовал ей сдерживать гнев, чтобы избежать конфликтов. (The doctor advised her to restrain her anger to avoid conflicts.)

  The doctor advised her to restrain her anger to avoid conflicts.

• Друзья удерживали его от импульсивных действий. (Friends restrained him from impulsive actions.)

  Friends restrained him from impulsive actions.

• Она удерживала дверь, чтобы не дать ветру её захлопнуть. (She restrained the door to prevent the wind from slamming it.)

  She restrained the door to prevent the wind from slamming it.

Meaning 2: To limit or restrict something, such as freedom, growth, or quantity.

Translation(s) & Context:

• ограничивать - Common in formal contexts like laws, rules, or personal boundaries.
• сдерживать - Used when the limitation is self-imposed or temporary.

Usage Examples:

• Правительство решило ограничивать импорт товаров для поддержки местного рынка. (The government decided to restrain imports to support the local market.)

  The government decided to restrain imports to support the local market.

• Родители стараются ограничивать время, которое дети проводят за экранами. (Parents try to restrain the time children spend on screens.)

  Parents try to restrain the time children spend on screens.

• Он сдерживал свои расходы, чтобы сэкономить на отпуск. (He restrained his expenses to save for a vacation.)

  He restrained his expenses to save for a vacation.

• Компания ограничивала доступ к конфиденциальной информации только для ключевых сотрудников. (The company restrained access to confidential information to key employees only.)

  The company restrained access to confidential information to key employees only.

• В контракте указано, что нужно сдерживать производство, чтобы избежать перепроизводства. (The contract specifies to restrain production to avoid overproduction.)

  The contract specifies to restrain production to avoid overproduction.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

All key translations (сдерживать, ограничивать, удерживать) are imperfective verbs in Russian, which means they describe ongoing or repeated actions. They follow standard Russian verb conjugation patterns for first conjugation verbs, with some irregularities in aspect forms. Below is a table for the present tense conjugations as an example:

Note: These verbs have perfective counterparts (e.g., сдержать for сдерживать), which indicate completed actions. They do not change in form for gender or number in the infinitive, but conjugations adjust for person and tense as shown.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • контролировать (kontrolirovat') - More general, often used interchangeably with сдерживать in emotional contexts, but implies active management.
  • тормозить (tormozit') - Informal synonym for ограничивать, emphasizing slowing down.
  • регулировать (regulirovat') - Formal, similar to ограничивать, but focuses on adjustment rather than strict limits.
• Antonyms:
  • освобождать (osvobozhdat') - To release or free.
  • побуждать (pobuzhdat') - To encourage or stimulate.
  • расширять (raspredyat') - To expand or broaden.

Related Phrases:

• Сдерживать себя - (To restrain oneself) - A common phrase for self-control in stressful situations.
• Ограничивать доступ - (To restrain access) - Used in security or digital contexts to limit entry.
• Удерживать равновесие - (To restrain balance) - Refers to maintaining stability, often metaphorically in life or physically.
• Сдерживать обещания - (To restrain promises) - Means to keep promises without exaggeration, implying moderation.

Usage Notes:

In Russian, "restrain" translations like сдерживать are often used in contexts where emotional restraint is key, such as in professional or social settings, and they align closely with English but may carry a connotation of internal struggle. Choose сдерживать for personal or psychological restraint, while ограничивать is better for external limits (e.g., laws). Be mindful of aspect: use imperfective for ongoing actions and perfective (e.g., сдержать) for completed ones. These verbs are versatile across registers but lean formal in writing.

Common Errors:

• Error: Confusing сдерживать with удерживать and using them interchangeably without context. For example, saying "Я удерживаю свои эмоции" when meaning emotional control, which sounds odd as удерживать implies physical holding.

  Correct: "Я сдерживаю свои эмоции." Explanation: сдерживать is for abstract control, while удерживать is for tangible actions.

• Error: Neglecting verb aspects, e.g., using сдерживать for a completed action like "I restrained him yesterday" as "Я сдерживаю его вчера," which is grammatically incorrect.

  Correct: "Я сдержал его вчера" (using the perfective past). Explanation: Always pair with the appropriate aspect to convey completion.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, verbs like сдерживать often reflect the value of "samokontrol'" (self-control), rooted in historical contexts like Soviet-era restraint in expression. This can tie into themes of endurance in literature (e.g., in works by Tolstoy), where restraining emotions is seen as a sign of strength, differing from more expressive Western norms.

Related Concepts:

• контроль (kontrol') - Control
• ограничение (ogranicheniye) - Limitation
• самоконтроль (samokontrol') - Self-control
• баланс (balans) - Balance