Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'shed'

English Word: shed

Key Russian Translations:

• сарай /sɐˈraj/ - [Informal, Noun, Used for a small storage building]
• сбрасывать /sbrɐˈsɨvətʲ/ - [Informal, Verb, Used in contexts of discarding or dropping something]

Frequency: Medium (The word 'shed' and its translations are commonly encountered in everyday contexts, such as gardening or descriptions of objects, but not as frequent as basic vocabulary like 'house').

Difficulty: Intermediate (B1) for 'сарай'; Advanced (C1) for 'сбрасывать' (due to verb conjugations and contextual nuances in Russian grammar).

Pronunciation (Russian):

сарай: /sɐˈraj/ (The stress is on the second syllable; note the soft 'р' sound, which can be tricky for English speakers.)

сбрасывать: /sbrɐˈsɨvətʲ/ (Pay attention to the palatalized 'тʲ' at the end; this verb form involves a rolling 'р' and reduced vowels in fast speech.)

Note on сарай: In some regional dialects, the vowel in the first syllable may sound more like /a/ than /ɐ/, but standard Russian uses /ɐ/.

Note on сбрасывать: This is an imperfective verb; the perfective form 'сбросить' has a similar pronunciation /sbrɐˈsʲitʲ/, but with a shorter vowel in the final syllable.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: A small building used for storage (Noun)

Translation(s) & Context:

• сарай - Used in informal or everyday contexts, such as describing garden structures or rural settings.

Usage Examples:

• Я храню инструменты в сарае. (Ya khranyu instrumenty v saraye.)

  I store the tools in the shed.

• В саду стоит старый сарай, полный ненужных вещей. (V sadu stoit staryy saray, polnyy nenuzhnykh veshchey.)

  In the garden, there's an old shed full of unnecessary things.

• Дети играют возле сарая летом. (Deti igrayut vozle saraya letom.)

  The children play near the shed in the summer.

• Этот сарай нужно отремонтировать перед зимой. (Etot saray nuzhno otremontirovat' pered zimoy.)

  This shed needs to be repaired before winter.

• Сарай за домом используется для хранения дров. (Saray za domom ispol'zuetsya dlya khraneniya drov.)

  The shed behind the house is used for storing firewood.

Meaning 2: To get rid of or drop something (Verb)

Translation(s) & Context:

• сбрасывать - Used in contexts involving discarding, shedding layers (e.g., skin, weight), or releasing something, often in a dynamic or ongoing action.

Usage Examples:

• Змея сбрасывает кожу раз в несколько месяцев. (Zmeya sbrasyvaet kozhu raz v neskol'ko mesyatsev.)

  The snake sheds its skin every few months.

• Он сбрасывает лишний вес, бегая каждое утро. (On sbrasyvaet lishniy ves, begaya kazhdoe utro.)

  He is shedding excess weight by running every morning.

• Дерево сбрасывает листья осенью. (Derevo sbrasyvaet list'ya osen'yu.)

  The tree sheds its leaves in the autumn.

• Компания сбрасывает старые запасы, чтобы освободить место. (Kompaniya sbrasyvaet starye zapasy, chtoby osvobodit' mesto.)

  The company is shedding old stock to free up space.

• Она сбрасывает напряжение, слушая музыку. (Ona sbrasyvaet napryazhenie, slushaya muziku.)

  She sheds stress by listening to music.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For 'сарай' (a masculine noun, 1st declension):

This noun follows standard Russian declension patterns. It is inflected based on case and number:

For 'сбрасывать' (an imperfective verb, 1st conjugation):

This verb is irregular in its aspects and follows standard conjugation patterns. Present tense examples:

Note: The perfective counterpart 'сбросить' has its own conjugations and is used for completed actions.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms for сарай: амбар (/ɐmˈbar/) - Similar, but often larger; погреб (/pɐˈgrʲeb/) - For underground storage.
• Synonyms for сбрасывать: отбрасывать (/ɐtˈbrasɨvətʲ/) - To throw off; сбросить (/sbrɐˈsʲitʲ/) - Perfective form, implying completion.
• Antonyms for сбрасывать: накапливать (/nəkɐˈplʲivətʲ/) - To accumulate; удерживать (/udʲɪˈžʲivətʲ/) - To hold on to.

Related Phrases:

• Сарай для инструментов - (Saray dlya instrumentov) - A shed for tools; commonly used in DIY or gardening contexts.
• Сбрасывать груз - (Sbrasyvat' gruz) - To shed cargo; refers to unloading weight, often in transportation or metaphorical senses.
• Старинный сарай - (Starinnyy saray) - An old shed; used in historical or rural descriptions.

Usage Notes:

'Сарай' directly corresponds to the English 'shed' as a noun for a simple storage structure, but it's more common in informal, rural Russian speech. Avoid using it in formal writing; opt for 'хозяйственный сарай' in professional contexts. For the verb 'сбрасывать', it aligns with 'shed' in the sense of discarding, but remember Russian verbs have aspect (imperfective for ongoing actions), so choose based on context—e.g., use 'сбросить' for a one-time event. When translating, consider the grammatical gender and case agreements in Russian sentences.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using 'сарай' without proper case agreement, e.g., saying "в сарай" incorrectly as "в сараи" in singular contexts. Correct: "в сарае" (in the shed). Explanation: Russian nouns must agree in case; beginners often mix up genitive and prepositional forms.
• Error: Confusing 'сбрасывать' with 'сбросить', leading to aspect mismatches, e.g., using 'сбрасывать' for a completed action. Correct: Use 'сбросить' for finished events, like "Я сбросил вес" instead of "Я сбрасывал вес" for a past completion. Explanation: This is a common pitfall for English speakers who don't think in terms of perfective vs. imperfective aspects.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, a 'сарай' often evokes images of rural life, dacha (country house) settings, or Soviet-era simplicity, symbolizing practicality and self-sufficiency. It's frequently mentioned in literature like Chekhov's stories, where it represents the humdrum of everyday existence, contrasting with more urban or luxurious elements.

Related Concepts:

• амбар (storage barn)
• погреб (cellar or root cellar)
• сброс (act of dropping or unloading)