Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'scare'

English Word: scare

Key Russian Translations:

• пуга́ть [pʊˈɡatʲ] - [Verb, Informal or Formal]
• испуга́ться [ɪspʊˈɡatsʲə] - [Verb, Reflexive, Informal, Used in emotional or sudden contexts]
• страх [strax] - [Noun, Formal or Informal, Plural: страхи]

Frequency: Medium (Common in everyday conversation and literature, but not as ubiquitous as basic verbs like "to be").

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and reflexive forms for пуга́ть and испуга́ться, while страх is A2 for beginners).

Pronunciation (Russian):

пуга́ть: [pʊˈɡatʲ]

Note on пуга́ть: The stress is on the second syllable; be careful with the soft 'т' sound, which is palatalized. Common mispronunciation by English speakers involves over-emphasizing the 'g'.

испуга́ться: [ɪspʊˈɡatsʲə]

Note on испуга́ться: This is a reflexive verb; the 'ся' ending affects pronunciation, making it softer. Practice the rapid 'tsʲə' for fluency.

страх: [strax]

Note on страх: A straightforward masculine noun; the 'x' is a guttural sound like in Scottish "loch."

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. As a verb meaning "to frighten or cause fear"

Translation(s) & Context:

• пуга́ть - Used in contexts involving intentionally scaring someone, such as in stories or pranks (e.g., in informal conversations or media).
• испуга́ться - Reflexive form, used when the subject scares themselves or reacts to fear (e.g., in sudden situations).

Usage Examples:

• Он пугает меня историями о привидениях. (On pugayet menya istoriyami o privideniyakh.)

  He scares me with stories about ghosts. (This example shows the verb in present tense, used in casual storytelling.)

• Дети испугаются, если услышат странный шум. (Deti ispugayutsya, yesli uslyshat strannyy shum.)

  The children will get scared if they hear a strange noise. (Illustrates future tense and reflexive use in a family context.)

• Не путай людей, это может их напугать. (Ne pugay lyudey, eto mozhet ikh napugat'.)

  Don't scare people; it might frighten them. (Demonstrates imperative form and potential consequences in social interactions.)

• Она пугает кошку, чтобы та убежала. (Ona pugayet koshku, chtoby ta ubezhala.)

  She scares the cat so that it runs away. (Shows use with objects in a playful or practical scenario.)

2. As a noun meaning "fear or fright"

Translation(s) & Context:

• страх - Used for a general state of fear, often in more serious or psychological contexts (e.g., in literature or discussions about emotions).

Usage Examples:

• Его страх перед высотой мешает ему путешествовать. (Yego strakh pered vysotoy meshayet yemu puteshestvovat'.)

  His fear of heights prevents him from traveling. (This highlights the noun in a possessive context, common in personal narratives.)

• Страх войны заставил людей эмигрировать. (Strakh voyny zastavil lyudey emigrorovat'.)

  The fear of war made people emigrate. (Shows the noun in a historical or global context, emphasizing abstract concepts.)

• В фильме много страхов и напряжения. (V fil'me mnogo strahov i napryazheniya.)

  The movie has a lot of fears and tension. (Illustrates plural form in entertainment reviews.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For verbs like пуга́ть and испуга́ться, these follow standard first-conjugation patterns with irregularities in reflexive forms. Below is a table for пуга́ть (to scare) in present tense:

For испуга́ться (to get scared), it's reflexive and conjugates similarly but adds 'ся': e.g., испуга́юсь (ispugayus').

For the noun страх (fear), it's a masculine noun with standard declension:

This noun does not have gender variations but changes by number and case as shown.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • напуга́ть (napugat') - Similar to пуга́ть but implies a more intense or sudden scare; often used in narratives.
  • испуга́ть (ispugat') - A one-time action, slightly more formal than пуга́ть.
  • боя́знь (boyazn') - For страх, meaning a persistent fear; more poetic in usage.
• Antonyms:
  • успока́ивать (uspokaivat') - To calm or soothe.
  • смелость (smelost') - Courage, directly opposing страх.

Related Phrases:

• пуга́ть до слёз - To scare to tears; used for intense emotional reactions in storytelling.
• страх и трепет - Fear and trembling; a fixed phrase implying deep awe or terror, often in literary contexts.
• испуга́ться насме́шки - To be scared of mockery; common in social or psychological discussions.

Usage Notes:

Пуга́ть is the most direct verb equivalent to "scare" and can be used in both formal and informal settings, but it's often more vivid in informal speech. Испуга́ться emphasizes the reflexive aspect, which doesn't have a perfect English parallel, so English learners should note that it focuses on the subject's internal reaction. For страх as a noun, it's neutral and widely applicable, but in Russian, it's common to pair it with prepositions like "страх перед" (fear of) to mirror English structures. When choosing between translations, opt for пуга́ть for active scaring and испуга́ться for passive fear responses to ensure natural flow in sentences.

Common Errors:

• Confusing пуга́ть with напуга́ть: Learners might overuse напуга́ть thinking it's identical, but напуга́ть implies a completed action (e.g., "I scared him" vs. "I am scaring him"). Correct: "Я пуга́ю его" (I am scaring him); Incorrect: "Я напуга́л его" for ongoing actions.
• Omitting reflexive particle in испуга́ться: English speakers often forget 'ся', saying "испугать" instead, which means "to frighten others" without the self-referential aspect. Correct: "Я испуга́юсь" (I will get scared); Incorrect: "Я испуга́ю" (I will scare someone else).
• Gender agreement with страх: As a masculine noun, it must agree in adjectives, e.g., "большой страх" (big fear), not "большая страх".

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like страх often carry connotations from literature and folklore, such as in fairy tales by Pushkin or folk stories where fear is a common theme in moral lessons. For instance, страх might evoke images of the vast Russian wilderness or historical events like wars, symbolizing resilience in the face of adversity.

Related Concepts:

• тревога (trevoga) - Anxiety
• ужас (uzhas) - Horror
• храбрость (khrabrost') - Bravery