Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'sadden'

English Word: sadden

Key Russian Translations:

• огорчить [ɐˈɡort͡ɕɪtʲ] - [Formal; Perfective verb, used in contexts involving emotional impact]
• опечалить [ɐpʲɪˈt͡ɕalʲɪtʲ] - [Formal; Often implies deeper grief, used in literary or empathetic scenarios]

Frequency: Medium (commonly encountered in literature, media, and everyday conversations about emotions, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "сказать").

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; Requires understanding of Russian verb aspects and conjugations. For огорчить, it's straightforward for learners familiar with perfective verbs; for опечалить, slight variations in nuance may add complexity.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

огорчить: [ɐˈɡort͡ɕɪtʲ]

Note on огорчить: The stress falls on the second syllable ("gor"), and the "ч" is a voiceless palatal fricative, which can be challenging for English speakers. Practice with native audio to master the soft consonants.

опечалить: [ɐpʲɪˈt͡ɕalʲɪtʲ]

Note on опечалить: Stress is on the third syllable ("cha"), with a soft "л" sound. This verb often has a more poetic tone, so pronunciation should be deliberate for emphasis.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

To make someone feel sad or unhappy (Primary meaning of 'sadden')

Translation(s) & Context:

• огорчить - Used in formal or everyday contexts to describe sudden emotional upset, such as bad news affecting someone.
• опечалить - Applied in more profound or literary settings, like grieving over loss, emphasizing a deeper emotional response.

Usage Examples:

• Эта новость огорчила всю семью. (Eta novost' ogochila vuyu sem'yu.)

  This news saddened the whole family. (Context: Reporting a sudden emotional impact in a news story.)

• Его слова опечалили меня на весь день. (Yego slova opechelili menya na ves' den'.)

  His words saddened me for the entire day. (Context: Describing prolonged grief in a personal conversation.)

• Фильм о войне огорчил зрителей, показав реальность потерь. (Fil'm o voyne ogochil zritateley, pokazav real'nost' poter'.)

  The war film saddened the viewers by showing the reality of losses. (Context: Discussing media influence on emotions.)

• Потеря друга опечалила её больше, чем она ожидала. (Poterya druga opechelila yeyo bol'she, chem ona ozhdala.)

  The loss of a friend saddened her more than she expected. (Context: Exploring deeper psychological effects in a narrative.)

• Эти воспоминания огорчили его, напомнив о прошлом. (Eti vospominaniya ogochili yego, napomniv o proshlom.)

  These memories saddened him, reminding him of the past. (Context: Reflecting on personal history in a reflective essay.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both огорчить and опечалить are perfective verbs in Russian, meaning they express a completed action. They follow standard first-conjugation patterns but are irregular in aspect (perfective). Russian verbs change based on tense, person, number, and gender. Below is a conjugation table for огорчить in the present and past tenses (as a perfective verb, it doesn't have a simple present; instead, it's used in future or past contexts).

Note: These verbs do not change for aspect in the same way as imperfective verbs, making them uninflected in certain contexts. For plural forms, add standard endings (e.g., огорчили for plural past).

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • расстроить [rɐˈsʲtroɪtʲ] - Similar to огорчить but often implies disappointment; used in casual contexts.
  • опечалить [ɐpʲɪˈt͡ɕalʲɪtʲ] - As listed, with a more emotional depth.
• Antonyms:
  • обрадовать [ɐˈbrədəvətʲ] - To gladden or delight.
  • успокоить [ʊˈspɐkəɪtʲ] - To calm or reassure, countering sadness.

Related Phrases:

• огорчить кого-то новостью (ogorchit' kogo-to novost'yu) - To sadden someone with news. (Used when delivering bad information.)
• опечалить сердце (opechelit' serdtse) - To sadden the heart. (A poetic expression for deep emotional pain.)
• огорчить до слёз (ogorchit' do slyoz) - To sadden to tears. (Emphasizes intense reaction in dramatic contexts.)

Usage Notes:

In Russian, 'sadden' corresponds most closely to огорчить for everyday use and опечалить for more formal or literary expressions. Choose огорчить when the sadness is sudden and actionable, while опечалить suits prolonged or profound grief. Be mindful of verb aspects: both are perfective, so they imply a completed action. In informal speech, pair with adverbs like "сильно" (strongly) for emphasis. English learners should note that Russian often requires specifying the object (e.g., "кого-то" for "someone"), which isn't always necessary in English.

• Context tip: In professional settings, огорчить is preferred for neutral reporting; in personal letters, опечалить adds emotional weight.

Common Errors:

English learners often confuse огорчить with its imperfective counterpart, огорчать (ogorchat'), using it incorrectly for ongoing actions. For example:

• Error: "Я огорчить каждый день" (incorrect, as it implies a single completed action).
• Correct: "Я огорчаю каждый день" for ongoing sadness, or "Это огорчило меня" for a specific event.
• Explanation: Russian verbs have aspects, so always check if the action is completed (perfective) or habitual (imperfective) to avoid tense mismatches.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like огорчить and опечалить often appear in literature (e.g., in works by Tolstoy or Dostoevsky) to convey the depth of human emotions. They reflect a cultural emphasis on introspection and expressing melancholy, rooted in historical contexts like the Soviet era's collective hardships, where sadness was a common theme in art and daily life.

Related Concepts:

• грусть (grust') - Sadness
• расстройство (rasstroystvo) - Upset or distress
• слёзы (slyozy) - Tears