Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'ruin'

English Word: ruin

Key Russian Translations:

• руины [ˈruɪnɨ] - [Noun, Plural, Formal; Used in historical or descriptive contexts]
• разрушить [rɐˈʐruʂɨtʲ] - [Verb, Perfective, Formal; Used to describe complete destruction]

Frequency: Medium (Common in literature, historical discussions, and everyday language when referring to physical or metaphorical destruction)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; "руины" is straightforward for basic learners, while "разрушить" requires understanding of Russian verb aspects, which can be challenging for beginners)

Pronunciation (Russian):

руины: [ˈruɪnɨ]

Note on руины: The stress is on the first syllable. Be careful with the soft 'н' sound, which can be tricky for English speakers; it's similar to the 'n' in "onion" but softer.

разрушить: [rɐˈʐruʂɨtʲ]

Note on разрушить: The 'ш' sound is a retroflex fricative, pronounced like the 'sh' in "she" but with a rolled quality. The verb ends with a palatalized 'тʲ', which softens the ending.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: The physical remains of something that has been destroyed (e.g., ruins of a building or structure)

Translation(s) & Context:

• руины - Used in formal or historical contexts to describe ancient or war-damaged sites, often in written or academic language.

Usage Examples:

• Эти руины стоят на холме и напоминают о былой славе. (Eti ruiny stoyat na holme i napominayut o bыloy slave.)

  These ruins stand on the hill and remind us of past glory.

• Туристы осматривают руины древнего города. (Turisty osmatrivayut ruiny drevnego goroda.)

  Tourists are examining the ruins of an ancient city.

• После пожара от дома остались только руины. (Posle pozhara ot doma ostalis' tol'ko ruiny.)

  After the fire, only ruins were left of the house.

• Руины этой крепости привлекают археологов со всего мира. (Ruiny etoy kreposti privlekayut arkheologov so vsego mira.)

  The ruins of this fortress attract archaeologists from around the world.

Meaning 2: To cause severe damage or destruction to something (e.g., to ruin a plan or a building)

Translation(s) & Context:

• разрушить - Used for complete, often irreversible destruction, in both literal and metaphorical senses, such as in news reports or storytelling.

Usage Examples:

• Землетрясение разрушило многие здания в городе. (Zemletryasenie razrushilo mnogie zdaniya v gorode.)

  The earthquake ruined many buildings in the city.

• Его решение разрушить отношения было импульсивным. (Yego reshenie razrushit' otnosheniya bylo impulsivnym.)

  His decision to ruin the relationship was impulsive.

• Война может разрушить целые цивилизации. (Voyna mozhet razrushit' tsel'iye tsivilizatsii.)

  War can ruin entire civilizations.

• Ошибка в коде разрушила всю систему. (Oshibka v kode razrushila vsyu sistemu.)

  The error in the code ruined the entire system.

• Он не хотел разрушить их дружбу, но сказал правду. (On ne khotel razrushit' ikh druzhbu, no skazal pravdu.)

  He didn't want to ruin their friendship, but he told the truth.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For "руины" (feminine plural noun), it follows standard Russian plural noun declension patterns. It is typically used in plural form and has variations based on case.

For "разрушить" (perfective verb, first conjugation), it is irregular in aspect but follows standard verb conjugation. Here is a basic present tense conjugation of its imperfective counterpart "разрушать" for context:

Note: "разрушить" is used in past or future perfective forms and does not change in the present.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms for руины: развалины (razvaliny) - More colloquial for collapsed structures; руины (ruiny) is preferred in formal contexts.
• Synonyms for разрушить: уничтожить (unichtozhit') - Implies total annihilation; сломать (slomat') - For physical breaking, less severe.
• Antonyms for разрушить: построить (postroit') - To build or construct; сохранить (sohranit') - To preserve.

Related Phrases:

• в руинах (v ruinakh) - In ruins; Used to describe a state of total destruction, e.g., in historical narratives.
• разрушить всё (razrushit' vsyo) - To ruin everything; A dramatic expression for complete devastation in personal or global contexts.
• оставить в руинах (ostavit' v ruinakh) - To leave in ruins; Often used in war or disaster reports.

Usage Notes:

"Ruin" as a noun corresponds closely to "руины" in Russian, which is typically plural and used for physical remnants, while as a verb, it aligns with "разрушить" for perfective actions. Be mindful of Russian's aspect system: use "разрушить" for completed actions and its imperfective form "разрушать" for ongoing ones. In formal writing, "руины" is preferred over synonyms like "развалины" for precision. English speakers often overlook gender and case agreements, so ensure adjectives and verbs agree with "руины" as feminine plural.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using "руины" in singular form, e.g., saying "эта руина" instead of "эти руины". Correct: Russian nouns like this are inherently plural; always use plural agreements. Explanation: This stems from direct translation habits, but Russian grammar requires proper declension.
• Error: Confusing "разрушить" with "сломать", e.g., using "сломать дом" to mean "ruin a house" when it only means "break". Correct: Use "разрушить дом" for total ruin. Explanation: "Сломать" implies repairable damage, while "разрушить" denotes irreparable destruction.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "руины" often evoke historical events such as the ruins of WWII battlefields or ancient Kremlin structures in Moscow. They symbolize resilience and the passage of time, frequently appearing in literature by authors like Tolstoy, who used such imagery to reflect on human impermanence and national history.

Related Concepts:

• археология (arkheologiya)
• развалины (razvaliny)
• уничтожение (unichtozheniye)