Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'squat'

English Word: squat

Key Russian Translations:

• присесть [prʲɪˈsʲetʲ] - [Informal, Verb; used in everyday contexts for the action of squatting or bending down]
• сквот [skvot] - [Neutral, Noun; borrowed from English, often used in urban or social contexts for illegally occupied buildings]
• присед [prʲɪˈsʲed] - [Formal, Noun; typically in fitness or exercise contexts]

Frequency: Medium (Common in everyday language for physical actions, but less frequent in formal or specialized contexts like urban squatting).

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of basic verb conjugations for 'присесть' and noun usage for 'сквот'. 'присед' as a noun is A2 for beginners in fitness vocabulary).

Pronunciation (Russian):

присесть: [prʲɪˈsʲetʲ] (Stress on the second syllable; the 'щ' sound is soft and palatalized, which may be challenging for English speakers.)

сквот: [skvot] (Pronounced with a hard 's' and 'k', similar to English; no major difficulties.)

присед: [prʲɪˈsʲed] (Stress on the second syllable; the 'с' is soft, blending into the vowel.)

Note on присесть: This verb has palatalization in the root, which can affect pronunciation in different forms; practice with native speakers for accuracy.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning 1: To squat (as a physical action, e.g., bending knees and lowering body)

Translation(s) & Context:

• присесть - Used in informal daily conversations, such as describing exercises or resting positions.
• присед - In formal or fitness-related contexts, referring to the noun form of the action.

Usage Examples:

• Я присяду на минутку, чтобы завязать шнурки. (Ya pris'yedu na minutku, chtoby zav'yazat' shnurki.)

  I will squat for a minute to tie my shoelaces. (This shows the verb in a simple daily action context.)

• В тренажерном зале он делает приседания с гантелями. (V trenazhernom zale on delayet prisedaniya s gantelyami.)

  In the gym, he does squats with dumbbells. (Illustrates the noun form in a fitness setting.)

• Дети любят присаживаться в песочнице и играть. (Deti lyubyat prisazhivat'sya v pesocnnice i igrat'.)

  Children love to squat in the sandbox and play. (Demonstrates habitual action with children.)

• После долгой прогулки мне пришлось присесть на скамейку. (Posle dlinnoy progulki mne prishlos' pris'yest' na skameyki.)

  After a long walk, I had to squat on the bench. (Shows the verb in a fatigue-related context.)

• Тренер показал, как правильно делать присест. (Trener pokazal, kak pravil'no delat' prised.)

  The coach showed how to do a squat properly. (Emphasizes instructional use.)

Meaning 2: To occupy illegally (e.g., a building, as in squatting)

Translation(s) & Context:

• сквот - Used in modern, urban slang for occupied spaces, often in activist or social discussions.

Usage Examples:

• Молодые активисты заняли сквот в заброшенном здании. (Molodye aktivisty zaniali skvot v zabroshennom zdanii.)

  Young activists occupied a squat in an abandoned building. (This highlights social protest contexts.)

• В городе есть несколько сквотов, где живут художники. (V gorode est' neskol'ko skvotov, gde zhivut khudozhniki.)

  In the city, there are several squats where artists live. (Shows community or alternative living arrangements.)

• Полиция очистила сквот от незаконных жильцов. (Politsiya ochistila skvot ot nezakonnykh zhil'tsov.)

  The police cleared the squat of illegal residents. (Illustrates legal conflicts.)

• Сквот стал центром для уличного искусства. (Skvot stal tsentrom dlya ulichnogo iskusstva.)

  The squat became a hub for street art. (Demonstrates cultural repurposing.)

• Они организовали сквот, чтобы протестовать против бездомности. (Oni organizovali skvot, chtoby protestovat' protiv bezdomnosti.)

  They organized a squat to protest against homelessness. (Emphasizes activist usage.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

For 'присесть' (verb, imperfective): This is a first-conjugation verb with regular inflections, but it has aspectual pairs. The perfective form is 'присесть' itself in some contexts, but commonly paired with 'присаживаться' for ongoing actions.

For 'сквот' (noun, masculine, indeclinable): This is a foreign borrowing and does not change in cases; it remains 'сквот' in all forms (e.g., сквот, сквота genitive).

For 'присед' (noun, masculine): Follows standard second-declension patterns.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • приседание (pris'edaniye) - Similar to 'присед', but more specific to exercise repetitions.
  • занимать (zanimat') - For the squatting/occupying sense, meaning to take or occupy space.
• Antonyms:
  • встать (vstat') - To stand up, opposite of squatting down.
  • освободить (osvobodit') - To free or evacuate, opposite of occupying a space like a squat.

Related Phrases:

• Глубокий присед (Glubokiy prised) - Deep squat; a common phrase in fitness routines, meaning a full lowering of the body.
• Занимать сквот (Zanimat' skvot) - To occupy a squat; used in activist contexts to describe taking over a building.
• Присед с отягощением (Prised s otyagosheniyem) - Squat with weights; refers to weighted exercises in gyms.

Usage Notes:

'Squat' as 'присесть' directly corresponds to physical actions in English but is more commonly used in imperfective forms for ongoing activities. Be mindful of aspect in Russian verbs; use 'присесть' for completed actions. For 'сквот', it's a direct loanword, so it's neutral and modern, often in informal or subcultural speech. When choosing between translations, opt for 'присед' in formal fitness contexts and 'сквот' for social issues to match the exact nuance.

Common Errors:

• English learners often confuse the verb aspect: Incorrect: "Я приседаю здание" (meaning to squat a building, which is wrong). Correct: Use 'занимать сквот' for occupying. Explanation: 'Присесть' is for physical squatting, not possession.
• Mixing cases with 'сквот': Incorrect: "В сквоте" (if treated as declinable, but it's not). Correct: Always 'сквот' in all cases. Explanation: As an indeclinable noun, it doesn't change, unlike most Russian nouns.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, 'сквот' is associated with post-Soviet urban movements, where abandoned buildings are occupied for art, protests, or affordable housing, reflecting broader issues of social inequality and creativity in cities like Moscow or St. Petersburg.

Related Concepts:

• встать (vstat') - To stand
• тренажерный зал (trenazhernyy zal) - Gym
• активизм (aktivizm) - Activism