Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'sicken'

English Word: sicken

Key Russian Translations:

• тошнить [tɐʂˈnʲitʲ] - [Informal, often used for nausea]
• болеть [bɐˈlʲetʲ] - [Formal, general illness]
• вызывать отвращение [vɨˈzɨvatʲ ɐtvrɐˈʐenʲije] - [Neutral, emphasis on disgust]

Frequency: Medium (Common in everyday conversations about health or emotions, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "to eat")

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and context-specific usage, as per CEFR standards)

Pronunciation (Russian):

тошнить: [tɐʂˈnʲitʲ]

Note on тошнить: This verb features a soft 'н' sound, and the 'ш' is a voiceless postalveolar fricative, which can be challenging for English speakers. Stress falls on the second syllable.

болеть: [bɐˈlʲetʲ]

Note on болеть: The 'л' is palatalized, making it sound softer; stress is on the second syllable. Variations in regional accents may soften the 'б'.

вызывать отвращение: [vɨˈzɨvatʲ ɐtvrɐˈʐenʲije]

Note on вызывать отвращение: This is a phrase, so pronounce each word distinctly; the 'ы' sound is unique to Russian and has no direct English equivalent.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To cause someone to feel physically ill or nauseous

Translation(s) & Context:

• тошнить - Used in informal, everyday contexts to describe a sudden feeling of nausea, such as from food or smells.
• болеть - Applied in formal or medical contexts to indicate making someone sick or ill over time.

Usage Examples:

• Этот запах меня тошнит с самого утра.

  This smell has been making me sick since this morning.

• Гнилые фрукты могут болеть людей, если их съесть.

  Rotten fruits can sicken people if they eat them.

• Её слова тошнят меня, как плохая еда.

  Her words sicken me, just like bad food does.

• Вирус болит целые семьи во время эпидемии.

  The virus sickens entire families during an epidemic.

Meaning 2: To cause disgust or moral revulsion

Translation(s) & Context:

• вызывать отвращение - Used in neutral or formal contexts to express emotional sickness, such as in literature or discussions about ethics.
• тошнить - Informal variant for strong emotional reactions, like in casual conversations.

Usage Examples:

• Его поведение вызывает отвращение у всех в комнате.

  His behavior sickens everyone in the room.

• Новости о коррупции тошнят меня каждый день.

  The news about corruption sickens me every day.

• Эта картина вызывает отвращение из-за своей жестокости.

  This painting sickens me because of its cruelty.

• Ложь политиков тошнит общественность.

  The lies of politicians sicken the public.

• Вызывать отвращение – это то, что делает несправедливость в мире.

  Injustice in the world is what sickens people the most.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For "тошнить" (infinitive verb), it is an imperfective verb with regular conjugation patterns. It changes based on tense, person, and number. Below is a conjugation table for present tense:

For "болеть", it is also an imperfective verb with similar patterns:

"Вызывать отвращение" is a phrase and does not inflect as a single word; each component follows standard rules (e.g., "вызывать" conjugates as above).

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • отвратить (to repel; more intense emotional disgust)
  • омерзеть (to become disgusting; used for things that sicken over time)
• Antonyms:
  • успокаивать (to soothe)
  • удовлетворять (to satisfy)

Related Phrases:

• То, что тошнит – Something that sickens (used for describing nausea-inducing factors; e.g., in medical contexts).
• Вызывать болезнь – To cause illness (a common phrase for infectious agents).
• Омерзительный запах – Disgusting smell (a fixed expression for something that sickens the senses; implies strong aversion).

Usage Notes:

"Sicken" corresponds most closely to "тошнить" in informal settings for physical nausea, but "болеть" is better for broader illness contexts. Be mindful of formality: "вызывать отвращение" is ideal for emotional or ethical discussions. In Russian, these verbs often require context to specify the subject, unlike English. When choosing between translations, opt for "тошнить" in casual speech and "болеть" in written or formal language to avoid sounding overly dramatic.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using "тошнить" in formal writing, e.g., saying "Это тошнит меня" instead of "Это вызывает отвращение". Correct: "Это вызывает отвращение" – Explanation: "Тошнить" is too colloquial for professional contexts and may come across as unrefined.
• Mistake: Confusing conjugation, e.g., saying "Я тошнит" instead of "Меня тошнит". Correct: "Меня тошнит" – Explanation: Russian verbs like this often use the dative case for the experiencer, not the nominative.
• Mistake: Overusing "болеть" for emotional disgust, e.g., "Это болит меня эмоционально". Correct: "Это вызывает отвращение" – Explanation: "Болеть" is primarily for physical illness, so it doesn't fit emotional contexts well.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, expressions like "тошнить" often tie into themes of endurance and stoicism, especially in literature (e.g., in works by Dostoevsky, where moral sickness reflects societal ills). This reflects a broader cultural emphasis on internal struggle, helping English speakers understand why such words carry emotional weight beyond their literal meaning.

Related Concepts:

• болезнь (illness)
• отвращение (disgust)
• тошнота (nausea)