Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'squander'

English Word: squander

Key Russian Translations:

• растрачивать (/rəˈstrɑʂɪvətʲ/) - [Formal, used in contexts involving waste of resources]
• тратить зря (/ˈtratʲɪtʲ ˈzʲrɑ/) - [Informal, everyday speech for careless spending]

Frequency: Medium (Common in financial, personal, and literary contexts, but not as frequent as basic verbs like "тратить").

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and aspect, with "растрачивать" being more challenging due to its imperfective aspect, while "тратить зря" is simpler for beginners).

Pronunciation (Russian):

растрачивать: /rəˈstrɑʂɪvətʲ/ (The "щ" sound is a soft, palatalized fricative; stress on the third syllable.)

тратить зря: /ˈtratʲɪtʲ ˈzʲrɑ/ (The "т" is palatalized before "ь", making it softer; stress on the first syllable of each word.)

Note on растрачивать: This word often involves a rolling "р" sound, which can be tricky for English speakers; practice with native audio to master the soft consonants.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Waste or spend recklessly (verb)

Translation(s) & Context:

• растрачивать - Used in formal or serious contexts, such as financial mismanagement or resource depletion.
• тратить зря - Applied in informal settings, like everyday conversations about time or money wasted carelessly.

Usage Examples:

• Он растрачивает свои сбережения на глупые покупки, не думая о будущем.

  He is squandering his savings on foolish purchases, without thinking about the future.

• Не тратить зря время на бесполезные занятия, иначе упустишь возможности.

  Don't squander your time on useless activities, or you'll miss opportunities.

• Компания растрачивает ресурсы без четкого плана, что приводит к убыткам.

  The company is squandering resources without a clear plan, leading to losses.

• Молодежь часто тратит зря молодость, не ценя её.

  Young people often squander their youth, not appreciating it.

• В кризисные времена важно не растрачивать энергию на конфликты.

  In times of crisis, it's important not to squander energy on conflicts.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "растрачивать" and "тратить зря" are verbs. "Растрачивать" is an imperfective verb, meaning it describes ongoing or repeated actions, and it follows standard Russian verb conjugation patterns. "Тратить зря" is a phrase where "тратить" is also imperfective. Russian verbs change based on tense, aspect, person, and number. Below is a conjugation table for "растрачивать" in the present tense as an example:

For "тратить", it conjugates similarly: e.g., Present: трачу (I spend), тратишь (You spend). "Тратить зря" does not inflect as a single unit but follows the verb's rules. These verbs are regular, but pay attention to stem changes in other tenses (e.g., past: растрачивал). If unchanging in certain forms, like infinitives, they remain as is.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • тратить (trati') - More neutral, general spending; differs from "растрачивать" by lacking the connotation of waste.
  • истощать (istoshchat') - Emphasizes depletion, often for resources; used in more poetic or scientific contexts.
• Antonyms:
  • экономить (ekonomit') - To save or economize.
  • сберегать (sberegat') - To preserve or conserve.

Related Phrases:

• растрачивать деньги - (Squandering money; often used in financial advice contexts to warn against reckless spending.)
• тратить зря время - (Wasting time; a common idiom in everyday conversations about productivity.)
• растрачивать силы - (Squandering energy; implies exhausting personal resources, often in motivational or health-related discussions.)

Usage Notes:

"Squander" translates most accurately to "растрачивать" in formal English-Russian contexts, emphasizing wasteful expenditure, while "тратить зря" is better for informal, conversational use. Be mindful of the imperfective aspect in Russian verbs, which highlights ongoing actions—unlike English, where "squander" can be perfective. In Russian, choose "растрачивать" for written or professional scenarios and "тратить зря" for casual speech. Grammatically, these verbs require agreement with the subject in person and number, and they often pair with direct objects like "деньги" (money). If the context involves emotion or morality, Russian might add intensifiers for nuance.

Common Errors:

• Confusing verb aspects: English learners often use "растрачивать" when a perfective verb like "растратить" (to have squandered) is needed for completed actions. Incorrect: "Я растрачиваю все вчера" (wrong tense). Correct: "Я растратил все вчера" (I squandered it all yesterday). Explanation: Russian requires aspect matching; imperfective for ongoing, perfective for finished.
• Misusing in informal contexts: Learners might overuse "растрачивать" in casual talk, sounding overly formal. Incorrect: "Не растрачивай зря" in a friendly chat. Correct: "Не трать зря". Explanation: Opt for simpler phrases in everyday speech to match natural register.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, concepts like "растрачивать" often tie into historical themes of scarcity and resource management, stemming from Soviet-era frugality. For instance, wasting resources might evoke criticism in a society valuing endurance, as seen in literature like Tolstoy's works, where squandering symbolizes moral downfall.

Related Concepts:

• экономия (economy/saving)
• расход (expenditure)
• зряшность (futility)