Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'saturate'

English Word: saturate

Key Russian Translations:

• насыщать [nəˈsɨʂʲɪtʲ] - [Verb, General use, often in scientific or everyday contexts]
• насытить [nəˈsɨʂʲɪtʲ] - [Perfective verb form, Formal, Used for completed actions]

Frequency: Medium (Common in technical, scientific, and descriptive contexts, but less frequent in casual conversation)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and contextual usage; for 'насыщать', it's B2, while 'насытить' may be B1 for basic forms)

Pronunciation (Russian):

насыщать: [nəˈsɨʂʲɪtʲ]

насытить: [nəˈsɨʂʲɪtʲ]

Note on насыщать: The stress is on the third syllable; the 'щ' sound can be challenging for English speakers, similar to 'sh' in 'shine' but with a softer, palatalized quality.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To fill something to its full capacity, often implying soaking or overwhelming (e.g., in everyday or chemical contexts)

Translation(s) & Context:

• насыщать - Used in ongoing processes, such as saturating a material with a substance; common in scientific writing or descriptions.
• насытить - Applied to completed actions, like fully saturating a solution; more formal in reports or technical discussions.

Usage Examples:

• Он насыщает воздух ароматом цветов. (He saturates the air with the scent of flowers.)

  English: He saturates the air with the scent of flowers. (This example shows the verb in a descriptive, sensory context.)

• Химик насытил раствор солью до предела. (The chemist saturated the solution with salt to the limit.)

  English: The chemist saturated the solution with salt to the limit. (Illustrates scientific usage with a direct object.)

• Дождь насытил почву влагой, делая её плодородной. (The rain saturated the soil with moisture, making it fertile.)

  English: The rain saturated the soil with moisture, making it fertile. (Demonstrates metaphorical or environmental application.)

• Она насытила ткань краской, чтобы создать яркий узор. (She saturated the fabric with dye to create a vibrant pattern.)

  English: She saturated the fabric with dye to create a vibrant pattern. (Shows artistic or practical usage.)

• Солнце насытило комнату теплом после холодной ночи. (The sun saturated the room with warmth after a cold night.)

  English: The sun saturated the room with warmth after a cold night. (Highlights poetic or everyday descriptive use.)

Meaning 2: To make something thoroughly imbued or overwhelmed (e.g., in metaphorical senses like emotions or markets)

Translation(s) & Context:

• насыщать - In metaphorical contexts, such as saturating a market with products; informal to neutral tone.
• насытить - For completed metaphorical saturation, like emotions; often in literary or psychological discussions.

Usage Examples:

• Реклама насыщает рынок новыми гаджетами. (Advertising saturates the market with new gadgets.)

  English: Advertising saturates the market with new gadgets. (Example in a business context.)

• Его речь насытила аудиторию эмоциями. (His speech saturated the audience with emotions.)

  English: His speech saturated the audience with emotions. (Shows emotional or rhetorical usage.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both 'насыщать' and 'насытить' are verbs, following standard Russian conjugation patterns for imperfective ('насыщать') and perfective ('насытить') aspects. Russian verbs inflect based on tense, aspect, person, number, and gender.

For 'насыщать' (imperfective):

For 'насытить' (perfective), it is less frequently conjugated in present tense but follows similar patterns in past and future forms, e.g., past: насытил(а/о), future: насыщу.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • пропитывать (propityvat') - Similar to soaking, but more focused on absorption; used in liquid contexts.
  • заполнять (zapolyat') - Means to fill up, with less emphasis on saturation.
• Antonyms:
  • осушать (osushat') - To dry out or drain.
  • разбавлять (razbavljat') - To dilute or weaken.

Related Phrases:

• насыщенный раствор (nasyschennyi rastvor) - Saturated solution; a common phrase in chemistry, referring to a solution that cannot dissolve more solute.
• насыщать рынок (nasyschat rynok) - To saturate the market; used in business to describe oversupply.
• насыщенный цвет (nasyschennyi tsvet) - Saturated color; in art or design, meaning vivid or intense hues.

Usage Notes:

In Russian, 'насыщать' is the imperfective form, ideal for describing ongoing or repeated actions, while 'насытить' is perfective for completed ones. English 'saturate' often aligns more closely with 'насыщать' in dynamic contexts. Be mindful of aspect when translating; for formal writing, use 'насыщать' in scientific descriptions. In everyday speech, it's neutral but avoid in highly informal settings where simpler verbs like 'заполнять' might suffice.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Confusing aspect and using 'насытить' for ongoing actions, e.g., incorrectly saying "Я насытил воздух" instead of "Я насыщаю воздух" for "I am saturating the air".
  Correct: Use 'насыщать' for imperfective actions to maintain proper tense.
• Mistake: Overusing in non-technical contexts; learners might say "насыщать" for simple "fill", leading to awkward phrasing like "насыщать стакан водой" instead of "наполнять стакан водой".
  Correct: Reserve for contexts implying full capacity or intensity.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture and language, terms like 'насыщенный' often appear in scientific and artistic discussions, reflecting Russia's emphasis on engineering and literature. For instance, in poetry by Pushkin, saturation metaphors evoke emotional depth, highlighting how language connects to historical intellectual traditions.

Related Concepts:

• пропитка (propitka) - Impregnation or soaking.
• заполнение (zapolyeniye) - Filling or occupancy.
• концентрация (koncentraciya) - Concentration, often linked in chemical contexts.